Republican says Mike Johnson 'rigged' the GOP vote — and promises future fights

WASHINGTON — Rep. Tom Massie (R-KY) wasn't enthusiastic as he left the Hyatt Regency in Washington, D.C. where Republicans were meeting to hear from Donald Trump on Wednesday.

Members like Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) and Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) told Raw Story that the meeting with the caucus was great and filled with optimism. It wasn't like that for Massie, however.

He doesn't think that Speaker Mike Johnson has his vote "locked in" because "he failed to increase our majority in an overwhelming red wave. He just made it tougher on himself."

Also Read: Dysfunction on display: Republicans complain Speaker Johnson is no Pelosi

Massie thinks it all comes down to the "do nothing Congress." A Roll Call analysis showed that Johnson's session passed a mere 106 bills.

"At this point in the 117th, the running tally was 214 laws totaling 4,702 pages," the report said last month.

When asked if he was still "unhappy" with Johnson, Massie confessed it was "an understatement."

He isn't certain whether he'll oppose Johnson, saying there's a lot of time between now and the next session.

"He's going to have to do a 180 on a bunch of crap he shoved down our throats," Massie told Raw Story outside the Hyatt. "Like Ukraine spending, for instance, in order to support Trump's agenda."

"Here's what we should do and here's what's gonna happen," Massie continued. "We should just put Trump's agenda on the floor, one at a time, bill by bill, single subject. For instance, the [border] wall. He needs $30 billion? Put $30 billion in there. Put it on the floor send it to the Senate."

What Massie thinks will happen instead is that Republicans will "attach everything the swamp wants and then say, 'You don't support Trump if you don't vote for this swamp package!'"

"That's exactly what Mike Johnson is going to do, I'm afraid," said Massie.

He said that he hopes speaking to the press and predicting what will happen will help show people how it's unfolding. He has an alternative to Johnson, but he said he wouldn't destroy the person by saying the name.

Members voted in the meeting about who they wanted for the new speaker and Johsnon won the vote. But Massie said that such a vote in a hotel conference room dosn’t matter under the Constitution. Right now “everything’s all rigged. He gets to run the meeting,” said Massie.