House Speaker Mike Johnson Slams CNN Reporter Manu Raju for Asking 'One of the Stupidest Questions'

House Speaker Mike Johnson dropped his usually folksy demeanor to rip a CNN reporter for daring to ask a question about the ongoing Iran war.

“That is one of the stupidest questions you've ever asked,” he snapped at veteran reporter Manu Raju. “I have nothing to do with the prosecution of the war across the globe.”

Raju, CNN's 46-year-old chief congressional correspondent, cornered Johnson about President Donald Trump's repeated insistence that the Iran war, which began on February 28, was merely days away from ending. Six months since it began, the war has continued with no end in sight, with devastating consequences for gas prices and working-class Americans.

“It’s been more than six months,” Raju pressed Johnson. “People are getting hurt still at the pump. Should the American people not also judge you on your projections here that were clearly off base?”

This caused Johnson to snap and claim he had "nothing to do with" the war in Iran.

Johnson is technically correct that he, as House Speaker, is not dictating American military actions in Iran.

However, as House Speaker, he and Senate Republicans have consistently rejected efforts to remove troops from Iran. The War Powers Act of 1973 states the president has to remove military forces from conflict within 60 days if Congress doesn't authorize a war before that deadline.

Congress never approved war in Iran, but in May, Johnson denied the U.S. was even at war in Iran in an effort to circumvent the 60-day deadline.

The sharply divided House went on to narrowly approve a war powers resolution that would end the conflict in June, but the Senate rejected it immediately in a largely party-line vote.

The war in Iran is currently in the midst of a familiar pattern.

President Trump boasted on September 1 that Iran's economy is on the verge of "total collapse" and the U.S. is nearing control over the Strait of Hormuz, the key shipping route that Iran closed as retaliation for U.S. military aggression. Iran has vowed to keep the strait closed until 2029, when Trump leaves office.

Meanwhile, reports suggest that the military is running out of ammunition while the U.S. is nowhere near achieving the key goal it laid out when it started the war, which is the elimination of Iran's nuclear program.

Johnson's time as House Speaker is believed to be running out, as Democrats are widely favored to take back the House in the 2026 midterms.

One of the key reasons for the Democrats' strong chances is believed to be the widely unpopular Iran War. Per Silver Bulletin, 55 percent of Americans disapprove of the Iran War while only 35 percent support it. Polling also suggests that Americans now trust Democrats over Republicans on the economy for the first time in over a decade.

Throughout his time as Speaker, Johnson has consistently abdicated responsibility for or knowledge of controversies harming Republicans by saying he "doesn't know" about certain topics when directly pressed.