Marjorie Taylor Greene says she's moving ahead with effort to oust Speaker Johnson
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene announced Wednesday she will move ahead with her attempt to oust Speaker Mike Johnson from the House's top job -- though her plan seems doomed to fail.
The Georgia Republican, who first introduced a motion to vacate the speaker's chair in March, held a high-energy news conference outside the U.S. Capitol to say she will trigger a vote on the House floor next week.
"Mike Johnson is not capable of that job," she said. "He has proven that over and over again."
Greene, joined by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, aired a litany of grievances she has with Johnson, who she described as a Democratic speaker working against former President Donald Trump's agenda. At one point, Greene donned a red "Make America Great Again" hat as she addressed reporters and denied she was defying Trump, who hosted Johnson at Mar-a-Lago last month and said he was doing a "good job."
Greene and Massie were flanked by two blown-up poster boards featuring photos of Johnson embracing House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
She criticized Johnson for working across the aisle to avoid a government shutdown, passing a FISA extension and his recent ushering of $95 billion in foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan through Congress. She called them three "betrayals" against the GOP caucus.
Johnson released a short statement in response to Greene's continued threat to try to remove him.
"This motion is wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country," Johnson said.
Greene's press conference came one day after House Democratic leadership announced that if a motion to vacate Johnson is brought to the House floor for a vote, they would vote to table the effort -- effectively saving the speaker from ouster.
The motion to vacate is unlikely to succeed as most Republicans have joined Democrats in vowing to spike it.
Greene has already passed up several opportunities to force a vote on her motion, which she said she initially filed as a warning to Johnson.
Still, Greene said she wanted lawmakers to go on record on this issue.
"I think every member of Congress needs to take that vote and let the chips fall where they may," Greene said. "And so next week, I am going to be calling this motion to vacate. Absolutely calling it. I can't wait to see Democrats go out and support a Republican speaker, and have to go home to their primaries and have to run for Congress again having supported a Republican speaker."
Greene continued, "And I also can't wait to see my Republican conference show their cards and show who we are because voters deserve it."
Asked why Greene is pledging to move forward with this in defiance of Trump, Greene told ABC News' Correspondent Elizabeth Schulze, "We have to have a Republican majority in January and under Mike Johnson's leadership we are not going to have one."
Greene's threat against Johnson has been looming for weeks. She did not specify what day next week she would force a vote. Asked by a reporter why she was not bringing it to the floor on Wednesday, Greene said she was giving members time to prepare.
Massie said they were also giving Johnson time to think and suggested, again, that he resign. Johnson flatly rejected Massie's previous call for him to step down.
Johnson has defended himself against the threat by stating that he's doing his job within the confines of the narrowest House majority in history. In a recent interview with NewsNation, Johnson said he didn't believe Greene was "proving" herself to be a "serious lawmaker" and that he didn't spend much time thinking about her.
Asked for her response to Johnson's comment, Greene said she was "not into personal attacks." Massie came to her defense, saying she "is the most serious representative up here."
Johnson was elected speaker in October after three weeks of a leaderless House following the historic removal of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The chaotic elections to replace McCarthy included unsuccessful runs from House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer.
Greene declined to name who she would like to see hold the gavel instead of Johnson.
"Anybody that's willing to fight for our agenda," she said. "Anyone who refuses to share the power with Hakeem Jeffries."
