'It's the right time to do it': John Boehner resigns as Speaker and retires just a day after crying during Pope audience as right-wingers plotted to depose him - and breaks into song as he reveals decision

• He was entrenched in a fight with conservative lawmakers in his chamber who were plotting to have him tossed out as Speaker
• Instead, Boehner will leave Congress altogether at the end of next month
• The Republican leader, 65, revealed his decision at a conference of party representatives this morning
• Conservative activists, gathered across town at a summit, celebrated Boehner's fall - they cheered when Florida Senator Marco Rubio told them

By Francesca Chambers, White House Correspondent

Published: 08:45 EST, 25 September 2015 | Updated: 19:36 EST, 25 September 2015

Speaker John Boehner dramatically announced his resignation from Congress today - the day after weeping as the Pope addressed a joint session of the House - avoiding a messy intra-party struggle to retain the gavel.

'It's the right time to do it, and frankly I'm entirely comfortable doing it,' he told reporters this afternoon at a news conference.

The Republican leader, 65, revealed his decision at a conference of party representatives this morning. An aide to Boehner then confirmed the GOP leader's forthcoming departure to DailyMail.com.

Hours later, Boehner sent out a formal statement about his departure and said, 'Over the last five years, our majority has advanced conservative reforms that will help our children and their children.

'I am proud of what we have accomplished.' 

At the press conference later in the day, Boehner said he always intended to leave Congress at the end of this year and was going to go public on his birthday, Nov. 17. The current 'turmoil' in the House, he said, caused him to exit early. 

The GOP leader seemed relieved, singing the famous Disney song Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah as he took the podium. 

'My, oh, my what a wonderful day,' he said, brightly. 

Scroll down for video 

Speaker John Boehner dramatically announced his resignation from Congress today, avoiding a messy intra-party struggle to retain the gavel

'It's the right time to do it, and frankly I'm entirely comfortable doing it,' he told reporters this afternoon at a news conference

Boehner said at the presser he first floated the idea of leaving earlier than he'd intended last night to his chief of staff. He then told his wife, he said, and she said, 'Good!'

This morning, Boehner said he went out to get his morning coffee at Pete's Dinner, saw the regular cast of characters who hang out there, and said: 'Today's the day.'

Afterward, things moved pretty fast, he said, with his staff finding out shortly after, and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy just after that. 

McCarthy, Boehner said, was so shocked, he had to tell him five times because he didn't believe him. 

Boehner, a devout Catholic, had been moved to tears by the presence of the leader of his religion, who he had personally invited to the unprecedented joint address to Congress yesterday. 

Entrenched in a fight with conservative lawmakers in his chamber who were plotting to have him tossed out as Speaker, today Boehner announced that he was quitting Congress altogether.

'Speaker Boehner believes that the first job of any Speaker is to protect this institution and, as we saw yesterday with the Holy Father, it is the one thing that unites and inspires us all,' a Boehner aide told DailyMail.com.

The aide said Boehner didn't intend to serve another term in Congress - but then his No. 2, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, unexpectedly lost his primary last summer, throwing the line of succession into chaos.

Ultimately, House Whip McCarthy moved up in rank, and conservative Rep. Steve Scalise moved into his old position. 

McCarthy and Scalise are now angling for the ultimate promotion when Boehner leaves office, as are several other members of Congress.

'The Speaker believes putting members through prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable damage to the institution,' the aide said, and so he's decided it's time to go.

Boehner 'is proud of what this majority has accomplished, and his Speakership,' the aide said, 'but for the good of the Republican Conference and the institution, he will resign the Speakership and his seat in Congress, effective October 30,' the aide said. 

The Speaker later said, in his own statement, 'The first job of any Speaker is to protect this institution that we all love.'

'It is my view, however, that prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable damage to the institution. To that end, I will resign the Speakership and my seat in Congress on October 30.'

Boehner dodged cameras this morning on Capitol Hill, opting not to give an in-person statement at that time. Just after noon, his office said he's hold a formal press conference at 1pm Eastern.

The GOP leader seemed relieved this afternoon as he spoke to reporters, singing the famous Disney song Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah as he took the podium. 'My, oh, my what a wonderful day,' he said, brightly

Boehner, a devout Catholic, had been moved to tears by the presence of the leader of his religion, who he had personally invited to the unprecedented joint address to Congress yesterday

The Ohio lawmaker had been warring with the right wing of his party and a group of aligned lawmakers calling themselves the House Freedom Caucus.

The lawmakers, led into battle by Congressman Mark Meadows of North Carolina, filed a resolution on July 28 to unseat Boehner as speaker.

They wanted GOP leadership to back a plan to defund Planned Parenthood that was almost certain to result in a government shutdown.

Congress must approve a set of spending bills by September 30, or all non-essential personnel will be set home and government agencies will be shuttered until the crisis resolves itself.

House and Senate leadership opposed the idea, and Boehner rejected his critics' charges that he was not challenging the president because he's not as conservative as they are.

'When I voted regularly, I had the eighth most conservative voting record in Congress,' he told Politico last weekend, over the phone. 'And the idea that I’m the establishment, that I’m some RINO, is just laughable. It really is.' 

Conservative activists, gathered across town for the annual Values Voters Summit, hosted by the Family Research Council, celebrated Boehner's fall from grace.

They cheered as Republican presidential candidate and Florida Senator Marco Rubio told them, 'Just a few minutes ago, Speaker John Boehner announced he's retiring from Congress.'

Texas Senator Ted Cruz, later told reporters chasing him around Values Voters that he heard Boehner was trying to sell the farm in his final days on Capitol Hill.

'If it is correct,' the conservative, White House contender, said, and Boehner 'cut a deal' with Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, 'and then presumably to land a cushy K Street job, after joining with the Democrats to implement of all of President Obama's priorities, that is not the behavior that one would expect of a Republican Speaker of the House.'

Cruz spearheaded the GOP's efforts in 2013 to defund Obamacare. That effort resulted in a two-week stand-off that Republicans eventually lost.  

The GOP leader said he didn't leave Congress because of the Pope. Boehner told reporter that he always intended to leave Congress at the end of this year and was going to go public on his birthday, Nov. 17. The current 'turmoil' in the House, he said, caused him to exit earl

A slew of conservative organizations took credit for Boehner's demise today in emails to their supporters.

The first line of a message sent out by Senate Conservatives Fund, a right-wing group led by ex-Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, said: 'You did it!!'

'While we believe he should resign immediately so House Republicans can fight to stop funding for the President's liberal agenda, this is a major victory for conservatives across this great country,' the email read.

Conservative grassroots group Freedomworks also proclaimed,'Fellow Patriot, we did it!...This is absolutely incredible!'

The Heritage Foundation's companion organization, Heritage Action, said, Boehner 'too often' stood in the way of a Congress that 'fights for opportunity for all and favoritism to none.'

'Today’s announcement is a sign that the voice of the American people is breaking through in Washington,' CEO Michael Needham said. 'Now is the time for a principled, conservative leader to emerge.' 

Possible contenders to replace Boehner include Reps. Raul Labrador of Idaho, Justin Amash of Michigan, Jeb Hensarling of Texas and Peter Roskam of Illinois, reports The Hill's Pete Schroeder.

Roskam, who sought Cantor's leadership role after the Virginia Congressman suddenly resigned last year, would not tell The Hill if he was planning to run for Speaker. He said the party should 'not just settle for a change in ranks,' however. 

This afternoon Boehner said he would stay far away from the ruckus over who would be the next speaker. Asked about his deputy, he said: 'I think Kevin McCarthy would make an excellent speaker.' 

McCarthy said in a statement today that 'it takes profound humility to step down from a position of power, and John’s depth of character is unmatched.'

'As our country has weathered difficult times at home and abroad, John has acted as a true statesman, always moving forward with the best interests of the American people close to his heart.'

Continuing, McCarthy said, 'He will be missed because there is simply no one else like him.' 

'Now is the time for our conference to focus on healing and unifying to face the challenges ahead and always do what is best for the American people,' he said. 

Many of Boehner's colleagues in Congress - on both sides of the political divide - released statements wishing him well, including the heads of two of the party's national campaign arms, the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee.

'He has been a tireless advocate for conservative principles who has raised millions to elect and re-elect Republicans to the House of Representatives,' RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said.

Greg Walden, chairman of the NRCC, said, 'nobody has worked harder in their years of service' to get Republicans elected to Congress.

'It is now time for our Conference to come together to fill the void created by the Speaker’s departure. It is only as a united Republican Conference that we can achieve our common goal of defeating Democrats, growing our historic majority and getting a Republican elected to the White House so that we can finally see real reform in Washington, D.C.' Walden said. 

Mitch McConnell, Republicans' top man in the Senate, said in in a floor speech that Boehner was an 'ally' and a 'friend' and pointed out that 'he took over as Republican Leader at a difficult time for his party.'

When Bohener took over as Republicans' leader, their party had just lost control of the House. Democrats would go on to win the White House, House and the Senate in the next election.

In 2010, the winds of change began to blow again, and Republicans earned back their majority in the House and Boehner was awarded the Speaker's gavel.

'When some said Republicans could never recover, he never gave up. When some gave in to defeatism, he kept up the fight,' McConnell said. 'Because he did, Speaker Boehner was able to transform a broken and dispirited Republican minority into the largest Republican majority since the 1920s.'

When Bohener took over as Republicans' leader in the House, their party had just lost control of the the lower chamber. Democrats would go on to win the White House, House and the Senate in the next election.In 2010, the winds of change began to blow again, and Republicans earned back their majority in the House and Boehner was awarded the Speaker's gavel

He added: 'That’s a legacy few can match.' 

President Barack Obama said at a joint press conference with visiting President Xi Jinping of China this afternoon that Boehner's big news 'took me by surprise' and that he called him before he came out into the Rose Garden to talk to reporters.

'John Boehner is a good man. He is a patriot. He cares deeply about the House...He cares deeply about his constituents, and he cares about America,' the Democratic president said.

Obama said Boehner was having a 'tough' time with members of his party who believe compromise as is a sign of 'weakness or betrayal' and said it's his hope that he and the next speaker 'can have significant differences on issues, but that doesn’t mean we shut down the government.' 

Other Democrats were not as diplomatic in their descriptions of the headwinds Boehner was navigating as Obama. 

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said from the floor of the Senate that Boehner's problem in the House was that he was he was a 'pragmatic' leader. 'He realizes there comes times when you have to make a deal.' 

'He had a very difficult job. He had a very difficult job. He had this faction, that faction, that faction and a couple more,' the retiring senator, who is leaving himself in January of 2017, said as he scolded the other party for 'ousting' a 'good man like John Boehner – he is a conservative Republican.'

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Boehner said, was so shocked, he had to tell him five times because he didn't believe him. McCarthy, pictured, is one of several Republicans expected to compete to for the Speaker's gavel

Chuck Schumer, Reid's likely replacement, said in a statement, that 'the chaos in the House Republican Conference, the palace intrigue, and the extremism of some of his members have resulted in the House's failure to address basic issues.'

'John Boehner tried to keep his conference in the mainstream, and his departure raises questions about the future of a party that thinks Boehner is not radical enough to lead the House and that Donald Trump is the right man to be President,' Schumer said.

Ex-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, now the House minority leader, said today at her own weekly press conference, 'The resignation of the Speaker is a stark indication of the disarray of the House Republicans.'

'It is a demonstration of their obsession with shutting down government at the expense of women's health and a sign of the failure of the House Republicans to be willing to engage in dialogue for the good of the American people and for us to move forward,' she said.

Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings likewise said, 'Today is a sad day for the House of Representatives. The Republican party is at war with itself, and although an extreme minority of ideologues has won this battle, the American people are losing.'

'Yesterday, the Pope urged Congress to work together, but today Speaker Boehner apparently determined he cannot achieve this goal, particularly in the face of relentless and reckless attacks by extremists in his own party whose actions will lead to more chaos, not compromise,' Cummings said. 'I thank the Speaker for his service, and I urge all of my colleagues to put the American people before partisan politics.'

Comments (949)

Share what you think

• Newest
• Oldest
• Best rated
• Worst rated

 View all

The comments below have not been moderated.

 View all

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

Add your comment

Enter your comment

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.

Submit Comment Clear

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now