GOP lawmaker threatens to go nuclear if 'anarchist' MTG's bid to oust Johnson succeeds

Republicans in the House of Representatives have long expressed frustration with the antics of lawmakers such as Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), but have rarely done something concrete to stop them.

However, an anonymous House Republican tells Axios' Juliegrace Brufke that they may at last reach their breaking point should Greene's bid to oust Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) succeed.

"Some of us are saying if the Speaker is vacated, which would be a travesty... that we’ll nominate Steve Womack and cut the anarchists out all together," the GOP lawmaker said.

Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR) is a House Republican who has been one of the staunchest supporters of Ukraine in its attempts to repel Russia's two-year-old invasion, and electing him as speaker would certainly isolate critics of aid to the war-torn nation such as Greene, who has falsely claimed that the country is waging a war against Christianity itself.

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So far, just Greene and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) have said they will vote to vacate Johnson as speaker. However, given the razor-thin majority Republicans now have in the House, Johnson will need at least some Democratic votes presuming no other Republicans join in the push to remove him.

The good news for Johnson, however, is that Reps. Jared Moswkowitz (D-FL) and Tom Suozzi (D-NY) have said they will vote against the resolution to vacate Johnson as speaker, although it's unclear how many Democrats would join them.

Last fall, no Democrats voted to rescue former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who was given the boot after nine Republicans joined with the entire Democratic caucus to vacate the chair.

This led to a weeks-long battle in which House Republicans cycled through candidates including Reps. Steve Scalise (R-LA), Jim Jordan (R-OH), and Tom Emmer (R-MN) before finally settling on Johnson.