Marjorie Taylor Greene files motion to vacate Speaker Mike Johnson

Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie speak to reporters after meeting with Speaker Mike Johnson on 6 May 2024

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has filed a motion to vacate Speaker of the House Mike Johnson.

Ms Greene previously vowed to bring this motion against Mr Johnson this week. She met with the speaker twice in recent days alongside her ally, GOP Representative Thomas Massie.

Her motion is privileged, which means the House will be forced to vote within 48 hours. However, Democrats and GOP members opposed to Mr Johnson’s removal have vowed to help save the speaker by voting to table the motion.

As the moderate representatives gaggled on the steps of the Capitol while the motion was announced, Ms Greene’s boyfriend Brian Glenn looked on.

“I love it,” Mr Glenn told The Independent.

Ms Greene and Mr Massie gave Mr Johnson a list of demands in their meetings earlier this week. They asked him block future aid to Ukraine, as well as defund Special Counsel Jack Smith’s probes into Donald Trump. Mr Smith is investigating the classified documents case and the 6 January riots.

These asks were largely symbolic because the US Senate and President Joe Biden would likely block them.

GOP members criticised Ms Greene’s motion moments after she announced it.

“It’s a gimmick, it’s a joke, it’s laughable,” Republican Representative Max Miller told reporters on Wednesday. “We have real work to do.”

“It’s going to sow discord…and by the way, it’s going to fail,” GOP Congressman Dusty Johnson said outside the House chambers.

The other side levelled similar criticisms on Tuesday while it was still unclear when Ms Greene would bring her motion. Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell of California criticised Greene for seeming wobbly on pushing Johnson out.

“I can just speak for our side — we’re gonna be the side that wants to get s**t done, we’ll be united, we’ll deliver the votes,” he told The Independent. “And as I said, it looks more like a motion to vacillate than a motion to vacate because she can’t decide what she wants to do other than try and be famous.”

Mr Johnson, a GOP representative from Louisiana, became speaker in October 2023. He won the leadership position after 22 days of turmoil in the House of Representatives following the removal of former speaker Kevin McCarthy.

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