Marjorie Taylor Greene vows to push forward vote to vacate Johnson
Washington DC - Far-right Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has vowed to push forward her motion to vacate House Speaker Mike Johnson.
On Wednesday, the Georgia representative, joined by Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, gave a heated speech on the steps of the Capitol building.
The two politicians lambasted Johnson for pushing a funding bill last month that she said "fully funded [President] Joe Biden's agenda."
"So, I entered a motion to vacate, but I didn't call it for a vote. I was controlled. I was responsible. I was being conscious and caring about my conference in our majority," she said.
"It was a warning to stop serving the Democrats. And support our Republican conference and support our agenda. And he didn't do it.
Greene submitted her motion to vacate Johnson last month, as she has taken issue with his willingness to work with Democrats by allowing aid for Ukraine to remain in a recent funding bill.
Though she has led an aggressive effort to garner support for the motion, she still has yet to mark it privileged, which would force the House to vote on it.
During her latest press conference, she promised to do so next week, noting that "everybody needs the weekend to prepare."
"Next week, I am going to be calling this motion to vacate, absolutely calling it."
Does Marjorie Taylor Greene have the support to succeed?
Wednesday's press conference came a day after House Democrat leaders, which included House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, announced they would save Johnson if the motion moves forward and endorsed the Speaker.
Greene's efforts have faced heightened criticism from her colleagues and conservative media, as her actions could have resulted in Republicans losing their already thin majority in the House if Democrats hadn't stepped in.
Besides Massie, only one other of her Republican colleagues has committed to backing her so far. This leads many to believe that, if pushed for a vote, she wouldn't have the support needed to pull it off.
Even Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who Greene is very close to, has defended Johnson.
On Tuesday, Michael Whatley, the head of the Republican National Committee who was appointed by Trump, reportedly told Greene in a private meeting that she needed to stand down.
In their endorsement of Johnson, Democrats warned MTG that, "If she invokes the motion, it will not succeed."
Cover photo: Brendan Smialowski / AFP