Washington
CNN
—
House Speaker Mike Johnson is expected to face a vote to remove him from office in the coming days, and even though he is expected to win, it will be a pivotal leadership test for the Louisiana Republican. It will be a great moment.
House Democratic leaders said Democrats would vote to kill an effort led by Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, effectively keeping Mr. Johnson from losing his job.
Mr. Johnson spoke with Mr. Greene in his office for about two hours on Monday. After the meeting, Greene said they would meet again on Tuesday, but declined to give details of what was discussed or whether she would push for a vote to remove him again this week.
“We just had a very long discussion with the speakers. We plan to meet again tomorrow based on the discussions so far, so we have no news to report at this time,” Green said.
“We had a productive discussion, we discussed some ideas, and we plan to meet again tomorrow,” Johnson told CNN after meeting with Green. So I think we can get everyone on the same page. ”
A failed vote would give Johnson an opportunity to argue that it is time to move on from the issue. But the support from Democrats will expose Mr Johnson to further criticism from the right.
It’s not yet clear how many Republicans will vote against Johnson, but the higher the number, the more it could be a blow to the speaker’s standing within the House Republican conference.
Greene said she would push for a vote in the coming days, ramping up pressure on Johnson and setting up a major showdown in the House of Commons. Even if the vote fails as expected, there is still the risk of deepening divisions among House Republicans, who hold a slim majority.
Many Republicans oppose expelling Johnson, not wanting the conference to descend into violent infighting, as it did after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted in a historic and unprecedented vote last year. .
But Mr. Greene and other hardline conservatives have been highly critical of Mr. Johnson’s speaking engagements. Conservative anger intensified after Mr Johnson helped pass a major foreign aid package last month that included aid to Ukraine.
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, wrong for the Republican Party, and wrong for the country,” Greene said in a statement after she announced she would move forward with the vote.
Two other Republicans, Massie and Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar, have publicly supported Greene’s motion to resign.
“I believe in the recorded vote. That’s our job. Our job is to vote,” Greene said at a press conference announcing the vote.
“If this vote is no, it’s a list of names, and voters and the American people deserve that list,” he said.
Greene has been threatening an ouster vote for weeks. She originally tabled a motion to remove Johnson from office in March amid conservative anger over his handling of the government funding fight.
The lawmaker did not rule out the possibility of forcing another vote after the next vote.
“We haven’t made a decision on that yet,” she said at a press conference.
A parliamentary vote to remove Johnson from office would require a majority, but a motion to introduce or reject the resolution is expected to be tabled and voted on first.
House Republican leaders plan to quickly take up Greene’s motion and kill it, according to Republican officials. Depending on her attendance, she may be able to vote on the same day she offers.
Sources said Mr Johnson met with the conservative House of Commons Freedom Caucus on Monday night as he continues to try to fend off the threat of being replaced. Greene was removed from her caucus in July 2023.
After Johnson pushed through the foreign aid package over the objections of conservative hardliners, House Democratic leaders said that if the issue arose, Democrats would vote yes to keep him in office. announced that it would support it.
But House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries last week refused to commit to Democrats rescuing Mr Johnson from repeated attempts to oust him if the Conservatives provoke another vote in the future.
Jeffries said the Democratic caucus will “take it one step at a time.”
This article and heading have been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Annie Grayer, Manu Raju and Melanie Zanona contributed to this report.
