Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) may wind up pushing House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to do exactly what she doesn't want by challenging his leadership.
The Georgia Republican introduced a motion to vacate last week but hasn't said when she'd force a vote, and she might need only one GOP vote to oust Johnson once their majority shrinks next month due to resignations – assuming Democrats don't rally to save his job, reported Politico.
“You should take her very seriously,” said Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN), who helped oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker but isn't ready to push out Johnson. “Marjorie is playing chess, not checkers. She’s looking at the long game, and she’s holding all the cards on this one, and I think it’s an attempt on her part to move the Republican party to a more conservative area — where our base is.”
However, Greene's threat could backfire and encourage Johnson to work with Democrats to pass a $1.2 trillion spending bill most Republican oppose and giving them floor time for Ukraine aid as incentive to help save his job.
READ MORE: How a billionaire's privilege is taking down our republic
“Wouldn’t that be rich,” said one House Republican, who summed up the GOP fear that Johnson would have no choice but seek help from Democrats in return for Ukraine aid.
Republicans largely oppose Greene's threat against Johnson, at least for now, and see through her motivations.
“She’s on the McCarthy revenge tour,” said House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good (R-VA), one of eight GOP lawmakers who voted to remove McCarthy. “We don’t talk about removing the speaker. We’re trying to influence him to do the right thing.”
