Speaker Mike Johnson Says He 'Wholeheartedly' Agrees With JD Vance's Criticism of Judges' Checks On Executive Power

House Speaker Mike Johnson said he "wholeheartedly" agrees with Vice President JD Vance's criticism of judges blocking measures implemented by the Trump administration.

Speaking in a press conference on Tuesday, Johnson supported Vance, who on Sunday said "if a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal."

"If a judge tried to command the attorney general in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, that's also illegal. Judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power," Vance added.

Johnson, who was a constitutional lawyer before entering politics, showed his support for the Vice President after a reporter asked whether the administration should comply with the courts' demand if they deem an action to be unconstitutional.

"Well, of course the branches have to respect our constitutional order, but there's a lot of game yet to be played, those would be appealed, we gotta go through the whole process and we'll get to the final analysis," Johnson said at the press conference, which took place on Capitol Hill.

"In the interim, I will say I agree wholeheartedly with Vice President JD Vance, my friend, because he's right," he added. "...When Congress, for example, appropriates dollars for the executive branch to use, we build in, not only in the spirit of the law, but in the letter of law, a broad amount of discretion for how that is used. There is a presupposition in America that the Commander-in-Chief is going to be a good steward of taxpayer dollars... that [he] is going to command [the budget] within his branch of government to do the right thing by the people."

This isn't the first time Johnson hinted at defying the courts. On Monday, he expressed support for the work that President Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk are doing through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), while also suggesting the judicial branch should let the rest of the government "work."

"It has taken this level of audit from effectively an outside auditor— that's what DOGE and Elon and the group really is— to be able to get into the systems and open the literal files and expose this stuff. And so, we are applauding that. This is what we have been wanting and trying to do for a long time. So, this is a good development," Johnson said about the work DOGE is doing.

"I wish the courts would allow the executive and the legislative branches to work, but we'll see how all that develops," he continued.

Vance and Johnson's questioning of the courts came after a federal judge's decision early Saturday blocked Musk's DOGE from accessing Treasury Department records. The attack on judicial oversight has raised some eyebrows, as it is a fundamental pillar of American democracy, based on the separation of powers.

"A corrupt judge protecting corruption. He needs to be impeached NOW!" Musk, who has been tasked to lead DOGE and cut waste across the federal government, posted on X, after the ruling.

Musk also shared a post from a user who had suggested that the Trump administration openly defy the court order.

"I don't like the precedent it sets when you defy a judicial ruling, but I'm just wondering what other options are these judges leaving us," the person had written.