Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene made a bold move on Wednesday when she initiated a vote to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson from his position. However, her efforts were quickly shut down as both Democrats and the majority of Republicans came together to strongly oppose her motion.
Lawmakers in the chamber expressed their disapproval with audible boos as Greene passionately voiced her grievances with Johnson, urging for a vote to be taken.
Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, accompanied by GOP Representative Thomas Massie, boldly stated that Johnson failed to fulfill any of the promises he made to the Republican conference when he assumed the top post in October.
According to Representative Greene, our Republican Speaker Mike Johnson has assisted the Democrats and the Biden administration in dismantling our nation by advancing the Democrats’ agenda and limiting the Republicans’ ability to influence legislation.
Johnson and his leadership team were present on the House floor while Greene read her resolution.
The House wasted no time in taking action, swiftly moving to hold a vote on a motion to table Representative Greene’s attempt to remove Representative Johnson from office. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise stepped up to request the vote on tabling Greene’s resolution, and it garnered support from members of both parties.
The motion to dismiss Greene’s proposal was voted down with a resounding majority of 359-43, with seven lawmakers choosing to abstain. The result was met with enthusiastic cheers from fellow legislators.
Greene’s motion to kill received opposition from 11 Republicans and 32 Democrats.
Johnson playfully bantered with reporters following the vote, teasingly remarking, “Well, it’s just another regular Wednesday on Capitol Hill, isn’t it?”
The speaker expressed his disagreement with Greene’s resolution, referring to it as a “misguided effort,” while also expressing gratitude towards his colleagues for their support.
“This should mark the conclusion of personality politics and the shallow character attacks that have characterized the 118th Congress. It’s truly unfortunate. This is not the essence of being American, and we can do better. It’s time for us to move past it,” expressed Johnson.
During an interview with ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott, Greene expressed her lack of surprise regarding the vote against her motion to vacate the speaker’s chair.
“What I see here is just what the American people needed,” she expressed.
“I didn’t enter the race for Congress with the intention of joining the establishment. Today, it became evident that the establishment, or what I call the ‘uni-party,’ was in full force,” she passionately expressed. “In fact, the Republican Party demonstrated their readiness to align closely with the Democrats and work together on every front.”
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries explained that the Democrats’ decision to assist in preserving Johnson’s position aimed to restore common sense and bring order to Washington.
According to the New York congressman, our choice to prevent Marjorie Taylor Greene from causing more chaos in the House of Representatives and the country is based on our dedication to finding bipartisan solutions for everyday Americans. He emphasized the need for common sense and less chaos in Washington, D.C., highlighting that individuals like Marjorie Taylor Greene and extreme MAGA Republicans are agents of chaos.
Jeffries responded to the question about whether Democrats would support Johnson in the future if more motions to remove him were filed. He stated that “the vote clearly speaks for itself,” indicating that the decision would be based on the circumstances at that time.
He added that the vote was a reflection of individual convictions, with an overwhelming and decisive outcome. Moving forward as a Congress is now crucial.
Greene was evasive when questioned about her intentions to make another attempt to remove Johnson from office.
In a recent post on Truth Social, Former President Donald Trump expressed his support for Johnson amid his ongoing feud with Greene. Trump emphasized that this was not the appropriate time to consider motions to vacate.
In his statement, he emphasized the importance of unity, stating that any display of disunity would be interpreted as chaos and have a negative impact on everything. He acknowledged the efforts of Mike Johnson, describing him as a good man who is putting in a lot of effort. While expressing a desire for certain tasks to have been completed in the past two months, he reassured that they will be accomplished together.
Greene expressed her gratitude for the support from Trump.
On Wednesday, Greene surprised everyone with a sudden change in tactics. This came as a surprise, especially considering her recent meetings with Johnson on Monday and Tuesday, where she seemed to be stepping back from her threat that had been looming for weeks.
During their meetings, she had presented Johnson with a list of demands that she wanted to see implemented. These demands included discontinuing aid to Ukraine and defunding the office of special counsel Jack Smith.
