Offended by ‘Sloppy Kiss’ With Dems, Greene Will Demand Vote on Johnson Ouster
WASHINGTON — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., on Wednesday said she plans to force a vote next week on whether Mike Johnson, R-La., should remain House speaker.
The move comes seven months after the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., paralyzed Congress for an extraordinary three weeks last October.
Unlike last year’s insurrection in the GOP, however, Democrats don’t intend to play along.
On Wednesday, House Democratic leaders said while members of the caucus were free to vote their conscience, they personally would support voting to table Greene’s motion, thereby shielding Johnson from this current coup attempt.
On Wednesday morning, Greene appeared before reporters on the House Triangle outside the Capitol, and likened the Democrats’ announcement to “embracing Mike Johnson with a warm hug and a big wet sloppy kiss.”
“They are ready. They have endorsed him. They are ready to support him as speaker,” she said. “They want to keep the band together and why?
“Because Mike Johnson has given them every single thing they want,” Greene continued.
She then went on to invoke last year’s speaker vote, when a string of Republican hopefuls failed to win because Democrats voted for House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., to be the next speaker.
“[It went] through round after round of speaker votes. We all witnessed it, haven’t we America?” Greene said. “And I want to tell you, I think it’s good that America witnessed all of that. Democrats said his name over and over again. They said, ‘Hakeem Jeffries … because they wanted to elect a speaker.
“That’s why I find it very satisfying that they are ready to vote for Mike Johnson. And you want to know something? I want to see it happen,” she said. “I also want to see recorded votes.
“I think the American people, who, by the way, are who I represent, need to see a recorded vote on [where Congress stands.] Do members of Congress support the uniparty? Is this what they support?
“I think every member of Congress needs to take that vote and let the chips fall where they may,” Green said, adding that she’s “absolutely” going to trigger a vote on her motion to vacate next week.
Under House Rule IX, a resolution declaring the office of House speaker vacant, which is what Greene will be filing, is considered privileged: once introduced on the floor by a member, the resolution must be put to a floor vote within two legislative days.
“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, a Christian conservative. I think that’ll play well. I’m excited about it,” Greene said.
The House speaker did not immediately respond to Greene’s press conference, at which she was joined by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., one of only two members of the Republican caucus to publicly support the Georgia congresswoman’s effort. The other is Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.
On Tuesday, during his weekly briefing with reporters, Johnson said, “I have to do my job. We have to do what we believe to be the right thing, [and] what the country needs right now is a functioning Congress … and a Congress that works well, works together and does not hamper its own ability to solve these problems.
“We saw what happened with the motion to vacate the last time [it was used]; Congress was closed for three weeks. No one can afford for that to happen again,” Johnson said.
“So we need people who are serious about the job here to do that job. Get it done. And I have to do what I believe is right, every day, and let the chips fall where they may,” he said.
Asked whether a deal was made with Democrats in the run-up to the vote on Ukraine aid — an accusation Greene has hurled at him in recent days — Johnson answered with a firm “no.”
“I was laser focused on getting the supplemental done,” he continued. “Of course, I had colleagues from both parties come up to me on the floor of the House ahead of the vote who said they weren’t going to stand for any attempt to shut down the government over it. I’ve acknowledged that.
“But I’ve not requested assistance from anyone. I’m not focused on that at all. No deals were made on anything at all,” Johnson said.
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