Marjorie Taylor Greene fails to unseat House Speaker

Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene failed in her attempt to remove Mike Johnson as speaker of the House of Representatives.

He had demanded that Johnson be expelled over his support for a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine.

However, Democrats joined Republicans in a 359-43 vote to override his motion.

Ms Greene’s speech in the House was met with loud boos from other members of the chamber.

Shortly after the vote on his motion, Johnson said he hoped this would put an end to “the personality politics and frivolous character assassination that has defined the 118th Congress.”

“I’m glad that this distraction is not going to inhibit that important work and all the other things that are on the table and on the agenda for us right now,” he said.

The long-telegraphed motion turned out to be a rare act of defiance against the party’s presumptive presidential nominee: Donald Trump. He had previously expressed support for the House speaker and called the campaign to impeach him “unfortunate.”

Only two other Republican members of Congress supported Greene’s motion: Thomas Massie and Paul Gosar.

Accompanied by Massie, Greene was in the House and criticized Johnson for a series of compromises he has reached with Democrats, who have the majority in the Senate.

“This is ‘one-party’ for the American people watching,” she said of the politicians in the chamber as they booed her.

“By endorsing the Democrats’ agenda and hamstringing Republicans’ ability and influence on legislation, our Republican President-elect Mike Johnson has aided and abetted the Democrats and the Biden administration in destroying our country,” he added.

Johnson could be seen walking around the House chamber after Greene began her motion, as Republican supporters shook his hand and patted him on the back.

At the time of Greene’s speech, Trump posted a message on his Truth Social platform asking Republicans to reject his motion to vacate the speaker’s position.

While Trump began his post with “I absolutely love Marjorie Taylor Greene,” he told Republican members of Congress that “this is not the time” to impeach Johnson.

“If we show DISUNITY, which will be portrayed as CHAOS, it will negatively affect everything!” he said, adding that the Republican president was “a good man who is trying very hard.”

In March, Greene introduced the motion that would eventually trigger the vote on Johnson’s impeachment, although it was unclear when or if she would push it.

He did so Wednesday by forcing the Republican-led chamber to hold a vote on the House leader’s position in no more than two legislative days.

The same legislative measure was used to remove former Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy in the fall, leaving the chamber without an elected leader for three weeks.

Democrats took the unusual step of endorsing a Republican House speaker due to narrow margins in the chamber, but recently criticized Johnson for holding several meetings with her this week.

“When President Johnson meets with her for hours, the American people should ask themselves ‘what is Marjorie Taylor Greene getting out of the president?'” Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu said Tuesday, according to Axios.

On Tuesday, Johnson said the talks were not a “negotiation” and denied that Republican leaders were considering making concessions in exchange for his support.