Mike Johnson slammed publicly by one of his GOP leaders

• She has been exploring a run for governor after her nomination for ambassador to the United Nations was pulled over GOP concerns about vacating her seat.
• Johnson gave Stefanik a largely symbolic role as chair of House GOP leadership, but has struggled to find a way to put her back on the House Intelligence Committee.

What happened: Johnson was asked at a press conference if he has had conversations with Stefanik and Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) about their potential bids for governor.

• "Are we having conversations? We are, and that's all I'm going to say about it," Johnson told reporters.
• The GOP speaker said the two lawmakers are "two of my favorite people and my most trusted colleagues, and they're super talented, which is why they get talked about for other things."
• "We have lots of House Republicans who are being courted to run for Senate or governor or do something big ... I don't begrudge anybody for having other opportunities," he added.

What she's saying: "This is not true," Stefanik said in a post on X, responding to another post suggesting that Johnson said he was "having conversations" with her and Lawler.

• "I have had no conversations with the Speaker regarding the Governor's race," she said, adding that she is "looking forward to the conversation about SALT with NY Members tomorrow. Stay tuned."

• Stefanik was referring to Johnson in her comments, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to Axios.
• Wendell Husebo, a spokesperson for Stefanik, doubled down in a statement to Axios: "She was setting the record straight. There have been no conversations with the Speaker regarding governor race. She is looking forward to the salt meeting tomorrow."

The other side: "I just talked to her. Elise is one of my closest friends, we haven't specifically talked about her running for governor," Johnson told reporters on Tuesday afternoon after Stefanik put out her tweet.

• "She's coming in to visit with me and it's all good," he added.