Mike Johnson Claims It Would Be 'Unlawful' For Democrats To Replace Biden

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday that replacing President Joe Biden as the presumptive Democratic nominee would be “unlawful,” just hours before thepresident announced that he is officially stepping aside.

In an interview on ABC’s “This Week,” the Louisiana Republican claimed that some states would face legal challenges to putting another Democratic candidate on their ballot instead of Biden.

“It would be wrong, and I think unlawful, in accordance to some of these states’ rules, for a handful of people to go in a back room and switch it out because they don’t like the candidate any longer. That’s not how this is supposed to work,” Johnson said, repeating the same statement on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

On Sunday afternoon, Biden released a letter formally announcing his decision to drop out of the race to become the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee for the November election. Biden announced his endorsement for Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place.

Biden said that while he is dropping out of the race, he will continue to serve the remainder of his tenure as president. Following his announcement, Johnson called on Biden to resign “immediately.”

But is Johnson right that there would be legal issues with a different candidate? Earlier this month, election law expert and UCLA professor Rick Hasen said there is no reason Democrats should be unable to legally put forward a different person.

“I don’t put any credence to it. Joe Biden is not the party’s nominee now, and states generally point to the major party’s nominee as the one whose name is on the ballot,”Hasen wrote on July 3 on his website, Election Law Blog.

While Johnson failed to specify any specific legal argument, his comments may be in