House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said Wednesday in an exclusive interview with the Daily Caller that the chamber may not pursue impeachment of Attorney General Merrick Garland because of other priorities and a lack of consensus that his behavior rises to the level of impeachment.

“Merrick Garland has been held in contempt, we filed a lawsuit against him in federal court to enforce the subpoena. He’s made a mess of the Department of Justice, they’ve weaponized the whole legal system in the minds of many American people and this is a very dangerous thing. So is he guilty of treason, high crimes and misdemeanors? I’m not sure, that’s a high burden,” Johnson told the Caller.

“I don’t know, legally, politically, right now if impeachment is the right step,” he added.

Conservatives want to impeach Garland because they believe he has weaponized the Justice Department against former President Donald Trump and his allies.

"Not an easy job"

Johnson said if Republicans gain a sizeable majority in the House after the election, as well as winning the White House, the top priorities will be the economy, the border, and foreign affairs.

He said he plans to remain speaker despite the challenges of the job.

“People ask me all the time are you having fun as speaker — I mean, I’m a wartime speaker, in a real sense,” he said.

“With a larger majority and with unified government, I also believe it could be a time of unifying the country and it’s an exciting prospect to be a part of that movement, so that’s the motivation to keep going on this. It’s not an easy job,” he admitted.

A difficult job

An op-ed by former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich in April said, "Speaker Johnson has the most challenging speakership since the Civil War more than 160 years ago," referencing Johnson's "nominal" majority that makes it difficult to pass legislation.

Gingrich thought at the time Johnson was doing an "excellent" job as speaker and praised him for listening to his members "hour after hour, day after day, long into the night."

The priorities Johnson referenced are utmost in Republican voters' minds, he said.

Many Democrats have the same concerns, even if they don't vote the same way.

While it seemed like it would be a difficult challenge for Republicans to retain the majority next year, Trump has gained significant momentum largely due to voters' indignation about how the courts have treated him and now, an assassination attempt against him.

If he can bring some Republicans along in his wake, the majority can be retained or even grown for 2025.