Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) suggested that Republicans are discussing a plan to allow House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) to become speaker if a motion to vacate current Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is brought to the floor.
The plan, according to Luna, is that some moderate Republicans will resign if a motion to vacate is introduced. This could flip the chamber since Republicans currently hold a narrow 4 seat majority following the early retirement of Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) on Friday.
“I heard that if and when the motion to vacate is introduced that there will be immediate resignations of a couple more moderate members of Congress and in the event that happens that ultimately means that it does go to a Democrat speaker and so we’re in a predicament,” Luna told Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) in an interview on Rumble, according to Newsweek.
Luna’s comments come as Johnson is facing a revolt from hardline members of his conference after the House approved a $95 billion package of foreign aid bills that would provide additional funding for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
Greene filed a motion for a vote to force Johnson to vacate the speaker position last month, but no further action has been taken since then.
However, the move has been gaining steam in recent days and so far, two other GOP lawmakers—Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Paul Gosar (Ariz.) have publicly come out in support of the motion to boot Johnson.
Following Saturday’s vote, Greene told reporters that she will allow Republicans to hear from their constituents before deciding whether to move forward with a vote to remove Johnson.
Greene said last month that she is not to be blamed if Jeffries becomes speaker before the November election.
“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.”
She added: “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. 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.”
