Marjorie Taylor Greene changes course and threatens to oust Mike Johnson

Washington DC - Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is now threatening to lead an effort to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson, only days after she criticized a previous effort as "pretty stupid."

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has threatened to lead an effort to vote out House Speaker Mike Johnson if her demands on the funding deal aren't met.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has threatened to lead an effort to vote out House Speaker Mike Johnson if her demands on the funding deal aren't met.  © Collage: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS & Christian MONTERROSA / AFP

According to a Wednesday report from NBC News, MTG told the outlet that she would "personally file a 'motion to vacate' and force a vote to overthrow" Johnson if funding for Ukraine is included in an upcoming spending deal, even if the deal includes the border security expenditures demanded by Republicans.

MTG explained that she believes funding Ukraine is "an absolute no-go" and constitutes a good "reason to vacate."

She also made the claim that she personally warned Johnson about her intentions in a recent interview with Steve Bannon.

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The speaker has been facing immense pressure and scrutiny in recent weeks from his far-right colleagues as he negotiates the details of the deal.

Along with Greene, several other House Republicans have expressed interest in voting Johnson out, similar to the events that led to previous speaker Kevin McCarthy, whom Johnson was voted in to replace, being ousted last October.

But just over a week ago, MTG shared the completely opposite sentiment as she told The Hill that "haphazardly throwing in a motion to vacate is probably about the dumbest thing that could happen."

"I think the last motion to vacate was pretty stupid and has thrown our conference into utter chaos," she said, ironically adding, "I'm kind of sick of the chaos."

House Speaker Mike Johnson responds to Marjorie Taylor Greene's threats

On Wednesday, Johnson sat down for an interview with CNN, where he pointed out that MTG is "very upset about the lack of oversight over the funding and over the lack of an articulation of a plan, as am I."

"I've talked with her about it personally at great length, and she's made her position very clear," he continued. "We have to do our job. We have to continue to ensure that we're covering all these bases, and we'll see how this all shakes out."

When asked if he is at all worried about threats to his position, Johnson responded, "No, I have a job to do."

Cover photo: Collage: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS & Christian MONTERROSA / AFP

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