Push to oust Mike Johnson as speaker strengthens as Marjorie Taylor Greene gets co-sponsor
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has a new ally in her threatened motion to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), a far-right backbench lawmaker known for frequently butting heads with leadership, announced on X that he will co-sponsor Greene's resolution, which has not yet been filed and which Greene is currently holding over Johnson's head as a threat.
Massie stated on X, "I just told Mike Johnson in conference that I’m cosponsoring the Motion to Vacate that was introduced by @RepMTG. He should pre-announce his resignation (as Boehner did), so we can pick a new Speaker without ever being without a GOP Speaker."
He added that, "[Johnson] said he won’t resign. I said to him that he is the only one who can prevent us from going through what happened last fall."
Massie was referring to the ousting of Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as speaker, a move instigated by right-wing members of the House GOP and which introduced a chaotic few weeks as the party struggled to find a replacement.
This comes after Massie, who was not one of the original eight Republicans who moved to oust McCarthy, has publicly lamented that the decision to throw McCarthy out without a backup plan for how to replace him was an "unmitigated disaster."
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Currently, the far-right wing of the GOP is enraged at Johnson for entertaining a proposal to pass Ukraine defense aid, which they oppose. Johnson has blocked any consideration of this in the House for weeks, while defense experts warn Russia could make gains in their invasion without ongoing U.S. support.
However, in recent days, Johnson, who has faced mounting pressure from the duties of his office and from pro-Ukraine Republicans in the Senate like Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), has floated the idea of voting on Ukraine aid as part of multiple packages including various other GOP legislative priorities, and making some of the aid into a loan Ukraine would be required to pay back at a later date — none of which appears to have satisfied Greene or her other colleagues who oppose the aid categorically.