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.
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