Scoop: Johnson's tense texts with Cheney

DETROIT — Mike Johnson and former Rep. Liz Cheney "agreed to disagree" on whether Trump is a threat to democracy after a text message back-and-forth last week, the House speaker told us in an exclusive interview.

• Cheney isn't on board with Johnson's version of the story, saying she and the speaker "used to be friends, but we did not 'agree to disagree.'"

Why it matters: Johnson says he reached out to Cheney — a former close ally and friend — after she took aim at him on NBC's "Meet the Press" over certifying the election.

• Johnson said he had not spoken to Cheney in a "very long time," but decided to text her after "she said some very uncharitable things."
• "I do not have faith that Mike Johnson will fulfill his constitutional obligations," Cheney told NBC on Oct. 13.
• Johnson told us he shared "how disappointed I was in that, to make things personal, because I've not done that ... We had a little debate in conversation, on text message," he told us.

In a statement today, Cheney doubled down on her criticisms of Johnson: "Mike knows this is a conscious choice between right and wrong and can't honestly rationalize supporting Trump on this."

But Johnson argued that Cheney's accusations that he won't carry out his constitutional duty are "dishonest."

• "She knows she knows me. She used to know me well and knows that I'm a constitutional conservative, and I take all matters at this level very seriously, and I will fulfill my constitutional oath. And to say otherwise is just dishonest," he told us.

The bottom line: Cheney told Axios she has repeatedly told Johnson "there was never any good faith basis for the stolen election allegations," and alleged "Mike knows Trump is dangerously unstable."

• Go deeper: More Johnson and Cheney quotes

— Juliegrace Brufke