House blocks Taylor Greene’s effort to oust Johnson as Speaker
Democrats have stepped in to help save Mike Johnson voting en masse with Republicans in the lower chamber.
The US House of Representatives has voted overwhelmingly to block a resolution by Trump acolyte Marjorie Taylor Greene to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, with Democrats stepping in to help save the Republican leader.
Ms Greene, who has accused Mr Johnson of betraying conservative principles and being beholden to Democrats, forced a vote on removing the Speaker despite the opposition of most other congressional Republicans and Donald Trump.
Her decision to trigger the motion to vacate the chair after a month of threats gave leaders two legislative days to bring it up, but Republican majority leader Steve Scalise moved to immediately block the effort. The vote was 359-43 to table, or set aside, Ms Greene’s motion, with seven voting present.
“I appreciate the show of confidence for my colleagues to defeat this misguided effort,” Mr Johnson said. “Hopefully, this is the end of personality politics and character assassination that has defined the 118th congress.”
Speaking on the Capitol steps after the vote, Ms Greene said: “Today has proven the uniparty is alive and well and the Democrats now control Speaker Johnson.”
Mr Johnson was elected by Republicans in October after a gruelling three weeks of attempting to find a leader when eight GOP representatives engineered the ouster of Kevin McCarthy. That time, Democrats voted against the Republican Speaker, sealing Mr McCarthy’s fate. This time, Democrat leaders had said they would help Mr Johnson block the motion, citing his decision to allow a successful vote on funding Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Blocking Ms Greene prevented her “from plunging the House of Representatives and the country into further chaos,” said Democrat minority leader Hakeem Jeffries. Democrat representative Adam Schiff said the “idea that you remove a Speaker for doing the right thing on Ukraine funding wasn’t something I was going to support.”
The house was set to leave on Wednesday evening when Ms Greene stood up in the chamber. She began reading her motion as members in her own party booed her, ticking off a list of complaints about Mr Johnson.
Ms Greene, flanked by ally Thomas Massie, charged Mr Johnson “aided and abetted the Democrats and the Biden administration in destroying our country.” She said Mr Johnson supported “fully funding abortion, the trans agenda, the climate agenda, foreign wars and the border crisis rather than ensuring liberty, opportunity and security for all Americans.”
Eleven Republicans voted against the motion to table, effectively siding with Ms Greene, but strong majorities of both parties backed the Speaker.
Other Republicans rushed to defend Mr Johnson, who was metres away from Ms Greene when she stood to read the motion, giving him back pats and handshakes on the house floor.
“This type of tantrum is absolutely unacceptable, and it does nothing to further the cause of the conservative movement,” said representative Mike Lawler.
In a statement on social media, Donald Trump made clear he opposed Ms Greene’s effort but also praised her.
“I absolutely love Marjorie Taylor Greene. She’s got Spirit, she’s got Fight, I believe she’ll be around, and on our side, for a long time to come.”
However, citing the party’s thin majority, he said the GOP was “not in a position of voting on a Motion to Vacate. At some point, we may very well be, but this is not the time.”
The former president spoke by phone with Greene in the last week to express his disapproval with her efforts, sources said. He told her the move risked destabilising the party ahead of this November’s election.
Because Republicans have such a slim majority – with 217 to 213 Democrats and five vacancies – just a few could oust a Speaker if all members of the opposing party also joined in. Because 163 Democrats joined the motion to table, Ms Greene’s effort easily failed.
The Wall Street Journal
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