Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a motion on Friday to vacate the seat of newly minted House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Speaking to reporters outside the U.S. Capitol, the far-right wing congresswoman said, “I do not wish to inflict pain on our conference and to throw the House in chaos. … But it’s time for us to go through the process, take our time, and find a new Speaker of the House that will stand with Republicans in our Republican majority.”
Greene’s primary grievance was the speaker’s decision to pass Friday’s $1.2 trillion spending bill to prevent a government shutdown.
“This is a betrayal of the American people,” she said. “This is a betrayal of Republican voters.”
Greene said she doesn’t believe the bipartisan legislation does enough to tighten border security and felt Johnson conceded too much to Democratic lawmakers.
Johnson was named House Speaker in October following a three-week ordeal that removed California Rep. Kevin McCarthy from the position after only eight months at the helm. Johnson — the GOP’s fourth choice to replace McCarthy — was elected to congress in 2016.
According to Greene, “the clock has started” to remove Johnson, but the firebrand declined to say when a vote might be held to replace the congressman from Louisiana.
Congress soon breaks for a few weeks, meaning if Johnson’s removal comes to pass, it won’t happen immediately. It’s unclear if Greene’s motion has enough support to succeed.
“We need a new speaker,” she insisted. “This is not personal against Mike Johnson.”
Greene said her denouncement of the speaker is a “warning” to fellow Republicans.
Johnson has not addressed Greene’s motion. CNN said he didn’t seem concerned about the possibility prior to voting to keep the federal government operating.
