Washington
CNN
—
Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene announced Wednesday that she would force a vote to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson from office next week, a move she said Democrats would vote to kill the effort and keep Johnson from losing office. This move is in response to the statement made.
“I think every councilor needs to take part in that vote and put their chips where they want. So next week, I’m going to withdraw this motion. Of course I will,” she told a news conference. He spoke at
Greene’s decision ends weeks of speculation over whether she will move forward to trigger a consequential vote. The move will further increase pressure on Mr Johnson and set off a major showdown in the full House of Commons, even though a rejection is expected.
Mr Johnson defended his leadership against the threat, saying he would not resign and warning that a vote to remove him could cause chaos in the House of Commons.
“This motion is wrong for the Republican conference, the Republican organization and the country,” he said in a statement after Greene’s announcement.
Many Republicans oppose the move to expel Mr. Johnson, fearing that the House Republican Conference will be thrown into turmoil as it was when former Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted in a historic and unprecedented vote last year. I do not want.
Greene insisted Wednesday that she had “absolutely no intention” of defying former President Donald Trump by forcing a vote, even though Trump defended Johnson.
“I’m President Trump’s biggest supporter,” she said. “I fight for his policies every day. That’s why I’m here fighting my own Republican conference.”
Greene also said she has not yet decided whether to force another vote on the issue if the vote fails next week.
“We haven’t made a decision on that yet,” she said.
Greene originally filed a motion to remove Johnson in March amid conservative anger over the Louisiana Republican Party’s handling of the government funding fight.
A parliamentary vote to oust Mr Johnson would require a majority, but it would still be possible to preemptively vote. A motion to table or reject the resolution may be first filed and voted on. That too would be successful with just a simple majority vote.
House Republican leaders plan to quickly take up Greene’s motion and kill it, according to Republican officials. Greene has not yet said when he plans to take to the floor to call for a vote. Republican officials have said they could vote on the same day she proposed, depending on her attendance.
After Mr. Johnson moved to pass a large foreign aid package that included aid for Ukraine last month, House Democratic leaders said that if the issue arose, Democrats would vote yes to keep him in office. announced that it would support it.
“We will vote to advance Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s motion to remove the Speaker. If she were to move the motion, it would not succeed,” House Democratic leaders said in a statement Tuesday. Stated.
Greene berated Johnson for about 10 minutes Wednesday, challenging Johnson’s support for aid to Ukraine and highlighting House Democrats’ recent announcement that they would vote to block the effort to oust Johnson.
“Now, (House Democratic Leader) Hakeem Jeffries and the Democrats are coming out and hugging Mike Johnson in a warm hug and a big, wet, sloppy kiss,” she said.
Ms Green said she did not make the motion earlier because she was “in control” and “in charge”.
“I was conscious and mindful of the majority conference. It warned me to stop serving the Democratic Party and support the Republican conference and support our policies. And he did that. And we all went home, and Republican voters everywhere, Americans, were furious at Mike Johnson.
During the press conference, Greene placed a “Make Ukraine Great Again” hat over a photo of Johnson and Jeffries.
A wide range of House Republicans immediately opposed Greene’s plan.
“I don’t agree with that idea,” said Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus. “She had the right to do so, but now is not her time.”
“Who’s going to take over and who wants the job? And I really hate all the issues we’re facing right now – look at what’s happening on campus – with the election… It’s getting closer,” he continued.
However, Mr Norman admitted he remains dissatisfied with Mr Johnson’s performance to date.
“When Mike took over, we expected more — and I personally like him, he’s a very godly man — but the criticism he’s gotten… Because they expected him to fight,” Norman said.
Representative Mark Molinaro, a vulnerable Republican from New York, accused Greene of simply “wanting more attention.”
He added, “Mike Johnson will continue to speak. Speakers will acknowledge the reality of our situation, focus on the principles of conservatism, and encourage other branches and other groups that don’t see the world. We acknowledged that we have to negotiate all issues with the house just like we do.”
Representative Greg Pence of Indiana was also disappointed by Greene’s announcement. “I wish she didn’t,” he said. “We have more important things to work on than that.”
He described the previous speaker’s battle as “extremely painful” and “counterproductive.”
“Let’s just move forward,” Pence added. “You know, God has put our eyes in front of our heads so that we always look ahead of her, and she looks behind her.”
CNN’s Morgan Rimmer, Melanie Zanona and Eileen Greif contributed to this report.
This story has been updated with additional information.
