Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is convinced that House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) days as speaker are numbered. Speaking to Breitbart News on Tuesday, Greene emphasized her will to see Johnson ousted from his position, saying that she is ready to force a vote for him to vacate his chair if he does not willingly drop the Speaker’s gavel.
According to the Georgia lawmaker, Johnson is out but he does not know it yet.
“The reality for Mike Johnson that he just is not accepting or refusing to accept, publicly at least, is whether it happens two weeks from now, two months from now, or in the next majority, he will not be Speaker. He just will not be,” she stated.
“There may be only two of us public right now. But he does not have the support of the conference at all. There may be people who might not vote to vacate him right now, but they will never vote for him to be Speaker next Congress. There are two large factions in the conference against his speakership,” he added.
Greene introduced a motion for Johnson to vacate the chair, arguing that a real Republican should take his place. She has, however, not made the resolution privileged yet. When she does, the House would be forced to consider her motion to remove Johnson and select another Speaker.
Up until Tuesday, Greene was officially alone in her effort to remove Johnson from his Speakership position. However, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), a member of the House Rules Committee, announced during a closed-door Republican conference meeting that he would be co-sponsoring the motion for the Speaker to vacate the chair.
Massie told Johnson at the meeting that he has to resign or face removal like former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) before him.
According to Massie, Johnson will likely have less support than McCarthy did if he refuses to resign willingly and the motion to vacate is called.
Massie also took to X to announce his position, saying, “I just told Mike Johnson in conference that I’m cosponsoring the Motion to Vacate that was introduced by
@RepMTG. He should pre-announce his resignation (as Boehner did), so we can pick a new Speaker without ever being without a GOP Speaker.”
I just told Mike Johnson in conference that I’m cosponsoring the Motion to Vacate that was introduced by @RepMTG.
He should pre-announce his resignation (as Boehner did), so we can pick a new Speaker without ever being without a GOP Speaker.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) April 16, 2024
Johnson, however, told Massie at the meeting that he will not resign.
He repeated his stance at a press conference later that day, adding that going forward with a motion to vacate right now would be “absurd.”
“It is in my view an absurd notion that someone would bring a vacate motion when we are here simply trying to do our jobs. It is not helpful to the cause, it is not helpful to the country, it does not help the House Republicans advance our agenda, which is in the best interest of the American people. A secure border, sound governance — and it’s not helpful to the unity we have in the body,” he stated.
