Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) pushed back on criticisms that her move to oust Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will result in House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) being elected speaker as the Republican majority hangs on by a thread.
In an interview with Real America Voice Tuesday, Greene said it is not her fault if Jeffries ends up being elected speaker.
“I am not going to be responsible for Hakeem Jeffries being Speaker of the House,” Greene said. “I am not going to be responsible for a Democratic majority taking over our Republican majority that lies squarely on the shoulders of these Republicans that are leaving early because they don’t have the intestinal fortitude to handle the real fight and the responsibility that comes with leadership and the end of our republic when our country is nearly destroyed.”
Reps. Ken Buck (R-Colo) resigned from Congress early last week and Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) announced he will step down on April 19. Their departures narrow the House Republican majority to 217-213. This means Republicans can only afford to lose one vote on partisan legislation.
Greene said if Jeffries becomes speaker the blame lies with Republicans like Buck and Gallagher, not her.
“It’s just a simple math. The more Republicans, like Mike Gallagher, that resign and leave early — guess what, that means we have less Republicans in the House,” Greene said. “So, every time a Mike Gallagher or a Ken Buck leaves early, that brings our numbers down and brings us dangerously closer to being in the minority.”
Greene filed a motion to vacate Johnson last week after the House passed the $1.2 trillion spending bill. She said the motion was a warning and didn’t give a specific timeline for a vote to remove the speaker.
She has been accused of trying to throw the House into more chaos which could result in other lawmakers heading for the exits early.
