Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene’s attempt to unseat Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House of Representatives failed. She had requested Johnson’s resignation because he supported a $61 billion aid plan for Ukraine.
However, Democrats and Republicans voted 359-43 to defeat her motion. Other chamber members loudly booed Ms Greene’s address on the House floor.
Shortly after the vote, Mr Johnson said it would end “the personality politics and frivolous character assassination that has defined the 118th Congress.”
“I’m glad that this distraction is not going to inhibit that important work and all the other things that are on the table and on the agenda for us right now,” he stated.
The long-awaited move proved a rare show of disobedience against the party’s presumptive presidential nominee, Donald Trump. Earlier, he expressed his support for the House Speaker and described the effort to remove him as “unfortunate”.
Only two Republican members of Congress, Thomas Massie and Paul Gosar, supported Ms Greene’s move.
Ms Greene, joined by Mr Massie, took to the House floor to criticize Mr Johnson for a series of compromises he has reached with Democrats, who have a Senate majority.
“This is the ‘uniparty’ for the American people watching,” she told the politicians in the chamber, who booed her. “By passing the Democrats’ agenda and handcuffing the Republicans’ ability and influence legislation, our elected Republican Speaker Mike Johnson has aided and abetted the Democrats and the Biden administration in destroying our country,” she stated.
Mr Johnson was spotted striding around the House floor after Ms Greene introduced her motion, with Republican supporters shaking his hand and slapping him on the back.
Trump goes against Marjorie Taylor Greene.
During Ms Greene’s address, former President Trump posted on his Truth Social platform a message urging Republicans to reject her request to remove the speaker’s post.
Former President Trump opened his article with “I love Marjorie Taylor Greene.” He warned Republican members of Congress that “now is not the time” to remove Mr. Johnson.
“If we show DISUNITY, which will be portrayed as CHAOS, it will negatively affect everything!” he remarked, adding that the Republican Speaker was a “good man who is trying very hard”.
Ms Greene submitted the move in March, which would eventually trigger the vote on Mr Johnson’s dismissal, but it was unclear when or if she would advance it. She did so on Wednesday, requiring the Republican-led chamber to vote on the House leader’s position within two legislative days.
A similar parliamentary maneuver was used to oust former Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy in the autumn, leaving the house without an elected leader for three weeks.
Democrats took the rare decision to support a Republican House Speaker due to the chamber’s razor-thin majorities, but they recently chastised Mr Johnson for meeting with her several times this week.
“When Speaker Johnson meets with her for hours, the American people should be asking ‘what is Marjorie Taylor Greene extracting from the speaker?'” According to Axios, Democratic Representative Ted Lieu spoke on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, Mr Johnson stated that the conversations were not a “negotiation” and disputed that Republican leaders were considering any concessions in exchange for her support.
Marjorie Taylor Greene is a far-right Republican lawmaker noted for her controversial views and confrontational rhetoric. She has been fired for supporting conspiracy theories such as QAnon and making harsh remarks about various groups.
Greene’s outspoken attitude appeals to her audience but alienates many others. Despite calls to resign, she remains a powerful voice in the Republican Party’s hard-right fringe.
Source: AOL
