Former GOP Rep. Newt Gingrich praised House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) for his handling of the continuing resolution drama before Christmas as Johnson hopes to coast in this week’s speaker election.

Johnson will face his first House speaker election since he first won the job in October 2023, but during the fight over continuing resolutions earlier this month, some House Republicans expressed doubt about whether they would support him. Gingrich, himself a former House speaker, offered his praise and hit at “totally destructive” Republicans while on the radio show The Cats Roundtable with John Catsimatidis.