Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) challenged House Republican leadership to step up and deliver the tough message to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) that he should voluntarily step down for the best of the conference.
Massie and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) announced Wednesday that they would force a vote on Greene’s motion to vacate “next week.” Their pledge came less than 24 hours after House Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA), and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-CA) issued a joint statement saying they would save Johnson’s gavel from conservatives by voting to table any motion to vacate.
Greene and Massie argue that the Republican majority deserves better than a coalition government with Democrats that Johnson has delivered them, with Massie accusing Johnson of “three betrayals” on government funding, allowing surveillance of American citizens, and funding Ukraine without first securing the border.
WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 01: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) speaks at a news conference alongside Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) at the U.S. Capitol Building on May 01, 2024 in Washington, DC. During the news conference Greene announced she would move forward with her motion to vacate U.S. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Massie used the press conference to “challenge members of my own conference to think long and hard about whether they want to join the uniparty next week,” calling out Republican leadership specifically to intervene with Johnson.
“We have a leadership team, a team of leaders from conference chair to whip to majority leader. Why do we have a team? We have a team so that when one of them goes off the rails, the others of them can meet with them and say, ‘You are no longer suited for this job.’
He continued with his call to arms:
So I challenge the whip, the majority leader, the conference chair, the policy chair, everybody in our conference, to sit down with Mike Johnson and have that talk and tell him it’s not worth it, Mike. It’s not worth it to share power with Hakeem Jeffries just for the vanity of you keeping the title of speaker. It doesn’t serve our country. It doesn’t serve our conference. They need to ask him to resign. That is what they should do. And I challenge them to have that tough discussion.
Breitbart News asked the offices of Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY), and Policy Chair Gary Palmer (R-AL) if they will vote with Democrat leadership to table the motion to vacate and if they will consider asking Johnson to step down.
None of the offices responded.
Massie and Greene argued Wednesday that Democrat leadership’s partnership with Johnson was a strategic move to continue controlling the House’s legislative agenda this year and weaken Republican prospects in November, ultimately delivering the gavel to Jeffries.
“Their entire leadership team plans on getting a promotion in January, thanks to Mike Johnson,” Massie said.
“Where is our leadership team? They need to be as united as Hakeem’s team is and they need to surround Mike Johnson and say, Mike, it’s time to leave Congress.”
Bradley Jaye is a Capitol Hill Correspondent for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter at @BradleyAJaye.
