On the heels of announcing his resignation, House Speaker John Boehner decried hardline Republicans as “false prophets” who make unrealistic promises during an interview with CBS News’ Face of the Nation on Sunday. “We got groups here in town, members of the House and Senate here in town, who whip people into a frenzy believing they can accomplish things they know—they know—are never going to happen,” he said. The Ohio Republican said his decision to step down helped to avert a government shutdown after divided congressional Republicans dug in on whether to insist on demands to defund Planned Parenthood in exchange for passage of a federal budget. Boehner said he had originally planned to announce his resignation in November, but after an emotional meeting with Pope Francis “it was pretty obvious” it was time to leave.
