WASHINGTON – Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has filed a motion to remove Speaker Mike Johnson, three sources with knowledge of the move told NBC News, to help the House avoid a government shutdown. It is said that this was carried out at the same time as the resolution was passed.
Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, served as chairman for five months, succeeding Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted from the top job in a similar proceeding.
It was not immediately clear how the House would act on her motion, which requires only a majority vote to remove the speaker. Rather than filing the motion as a privileged motion to force a vote within two legislative days, Rep. Greene, R-Ga., may file it as a regular motion and refer it to a committee, where consideration is likely to stall.
The House will go into a two-week recess on Friday and will not consider the motion until it returns, a person familiar with the process told NBC News. The House returns to session on April 9.
Johnson's press secretary, Raj Shah, said his focus was on “governance. We will continue to push forward conservative legislation that secures our borders, strengthens our defense and shows how we can expand our majority.” Probably.''
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida), who voted to force Mr. McCarthy out of the chair, told reporters on Thursday that he would not support a motion to vacate the chair and oust Mr. Johnson.
“If we remove this chairman, we will ultimately elect a Democrat,” Gaetz told reporters. “When I unseated the last speaker, I promised the country that I would not settle with a Democratic chairman. And I was right. That promise was never fulfilled again.”
When asked why this is the case, Gates replied: He worries that some Republicans will vote for Hakeem Jeffries at this point. It's true. I'm not happy to say that. However, the chairmanship can only be made vacant if it is known that the party leadership will not be replaced. I was sure of that last time. This time I'm not sure. ”
Mr. Gaetz's move against Mr. McCarthy led to the first time in U.S. history that a Speaker of the House of Representatives was removed from office mid-session. The scramble to find a replacement before settling on Mr. Johnson sparked weeks of confusion among Republicans in their thin majority.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), who voted to remove Mr. McCarthy from office, said Friday that he would not support Mr. Johnson's motion to remove him. “No, he's not lying to me,” he said.
Green was hinting at his plans. In response to a question about her motion to resign on Steve Bannon's podcast before Friday's appropriations vote, she said: I recommend you wait and see what happens. ”
On Thursday afternoon, she told NBC News that “a lot of people are talking about a motion to vacate.”
But he did not elaborate on whether or when he would actually file the motion. When I asked her why, she said, “All kinds of problems.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for the latest information.
Rebecca Kaplan contributed.
