Tensions were high among House Republicans on Tuesday with a group of GOP hardliners threatening to protest Speaker Mike Johnson’s leadership during the next day’s House GOP Conference leadership elections.

Three sources told Fox News Digital that members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus were exploring ways to show their discontent with House GOP leaders during the closed-door races to decide who will likely lead the majority next year.

Meanwhile, those threats sparked frustration among rank-and-file House Republicans, including one lawmaker who said such discussions were “just more stupid.”

The heart of the issue lies in proposed rule changes that the House GOP Conference will also vote on, including a measure pushed by some Republicans to punish colleagues who purposely sink their own party’s legislation on the House floor by stripping their committee assignments.

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Johnson told Politico on Tuesday evening that he would not support “punitive” measures against people who blockade the House floor, but sources signaled that would not be enough.

“There’s a difference between saying, ‘I don’t support it’ and ‘I’m going to stop it.’ That’s a big difference,” one source said. “His easy route is just to say, ‘All right, no rules changes. We’re just going to go forward.’”

Reports indicated earlier that Freedom Caucus members were looking for a candidate to challenge Johnson – something its chairman did not rule out.

“Having two people in a race is kind of the norm,” Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., told reporters when asked if his group was putting up a candidate. “We can do this Soviet-style, or we can do it American-style.”

But no one candidate appeared to emerge as of Tuesday night, though Fox News Digital’s sources said conservatives could still coalesce around someone.

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House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris did not deny his group was looking at other candidates. (Getty Images)

Instead, Johnson’s GOP critics could seek a recorded vote where they could either simply vote against his candidacy for speaker or write another name in via secret ballot, Fox News Digital was told.

The discord comes as President-elect Donald Trump plans to address House Republicans on Wednesday morning ahead of their leadership races, two other sources familiar with planning told Fox News Digital.

Several GOP lawmakers who spoke with Fox News Digital were frustrated that the public chaos that permeated the 118th Congress could once again rear its head – this time, when Republicans were poised to control all the levers of power in Washington.

“Frankly, I am tired of the instigators. I am tired of the conflict for the sake of conflict-type nonsense that happened last session,” Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., told Fox News Digital.

Asked if lawmakers who help lead that charge should face consequences, Murphy said, “Absolutely. You can put that with an exclamation mark.”

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Rep. Greg Murphy said Republicans who try to upend the conference should face consequences. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Another GOP lawmaker said they were concerned about whether such a protest would lead to another messy House floor fight over the speakership, similar to the 15 rounds of voting ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., faced nearly two years ago.

“What would worry me is if they’re willing to take that battle to the floor again. That’s where it doesn’t serve any kind of positive purpose at that point,” that lawmaker said.

Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, posted on X, “Enough is enough with the unserious political games – we have work to do.”

Others who have criticized Johnson in the past – like Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla. – signaled little appetite for supporting a challenger against Johnson, particularly if Trump backs the speaker on Wednesday morning.

The Hill was first to report that House Freedom Caucus members were seeking a challenger to Johnson.

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Fox News personality Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense, making him the first on-air talent from the conservative-leaning network to join the incoming administration. And he may not be the last.

Hegseth, a decorated combat veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, will leave the network immediately, a Fox News representative said Tuesday.

Hegseth, 44, has been a co-host of the weekend edition of morning program “Fox & Friends” since 2017 alongside Will Cain and Rachel Campos-Duffy. An Army National Guard officer, he joined the network as a contributor in 2014.

“Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First,” Trump said in his statement announcing the appointment. “With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice — Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down.”

A number of Fox News contributors are expected to join the new Trump administration. Former Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Tom Homan, who made paid appearances on the network, was named as Trump’s border czar on Monday.

But Hegseth’s exit is a surprise. He is a full-time host who enjoys a comfortable salary and the perks that come along with a high-profile TV job.

There has been chatter inside the network that others may follow him.

The revolving door of White House administrations and cable news channels has been active in recent years due to the number of opinion programs the outlets now present.

Former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany joined Fox News in 2021 after Trump lost the 2020 election.

Jen Psaki, who served in the same capacity for President Biden, moved to MSNBC after serving two years. She now hosts a program on Sundays and Mondays on the network. Symone Sanders, former chief spokeswoman for Vice President Kamala Harris and former Biden campaign senior adviser, is also a weekend host on the network.

Hegseth is a graduate of Princeton University, and has a graduate degree from Harvard University. For his military service, he was decorated with two Bronze Stars, as well as a Combat Infantryman Badge.

Hegseth is a best selling author for Fox News Books, the network’s publishing imprint.

The Biden administration will support a U.N. treaty this week that will create a new cybercrime convention that includes China and Russia — which has not sat well with some lawmakers and critics. 

Since 2001, the global governance around cybercrime has largely been coordinated by the Budapest Convention, a product of the Council of Europe that includes 76 countries. It does not include Russia or China. However, under the U.N.’s new cybercrime convention, these two adversarial nations will be welcomed into the global cybercrime governance fold.  

The move, confirmed by top officials familiar with the issue, has been met with concern from those who fear that a new global alliance on cybersecurity involving two of the nation’s most adversarial nations could spell trouble.

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“We recognize that defending human rights and core principles of internet freedom is not easy,” a group of Democratic lawmakers on the Hill wrote last week to top officials in the Biden administration, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, Jake Sullivan. “Russia, China and other regimes opposed to democratic freedoms are always working to create international legitimacy for their actions and worldview … Unfortunately, these efforts – while laudable – are insufficient to fix fundamental flaws in the convention.”

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The decision to support the new treaty came after months of deliberations between the Biden administration and others, including hundreds of nongovernmental entities involved in human rights and other relevant issues. According to a senior administration official, the U.S. “decided to remain with consensus,” arguing the U.S.’s sway on global “rights-respecting” cybersecurity policy will be greater under the new convention.

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, Oct. 22, 2024. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via REUTERS)

To help address concerns that have been raised about the convention, the Biden administration plans to develop a risk management plan and will engage with nongovernmental stakeholders to help refine it. 

A “consensus proceeding” took place Monday, and the resolution was approved without a vote. According to Politico, it is expected to be adopted by the General Assembly later this year. 

A person tries to log into a laptop.

Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump announced on Monday that he would be nominating New York GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik to be the next U.N. ambassador in his administration.

The White House declined to comment on the record for this story.