John Boehner, the Ohio Republican who steered his party to an overwhelming House majority in 2010, told colleagues Friday he's stepping down as Speaker and will leave Congress at the end of October.
The abrupt decision comes after he faced heavy pressure from conservatives to take a harder line on their causes, most recently over defunding Planned Parenthood.
Boehner, who has presided over the House since 2011, explained during a closed-door meeting with Republicans Friday morning that he had only planned to serve two terms as speaker but decided to hold onto his post after then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor lost his seat during a primary last year, a Republican lawmaker in the room told CNN.
Boehner, who didn't speak to reporters on Friday, also told the lawmakers that Pope Francis' visit to Congress the day before was a crystallizing moment, according to the lawmaker.
Boehner then read the prayer of St. Francis to the conference after announcing his decision.
Boehner said in a statement late Friday morning that he was "full of gratitude" to his colleagues and constituents and said he is "proud" of the Republican majority's accomplishments under his leadership.
But he also pointed to turmoil within his caucus as the reason for his resignation.
"It is my view, however, that prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable damage to the institution," Boehner wrote in his first comments since the announcement.
"To that end, I will resign the Speakership and my seat in Congress on October 30."
Boehner said that he had planned to only serve as Speaker until the end of last year, but stayed on in the top post "to provide continuity" --a nod to Cantor's stunning primary defeat.
A Republican source close to Boehner said the announcement "was not some big orchestrated move," explaining that Boehner informed only his most senior aides Thursday night of his decision.
"After yesterday with the Pope, he decided to leave on this high note," a top Boehner aide told CNN. "Literally did not make the decision til last night."
source: cnn
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