(WASHINGTON) — House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie met privately on Monday, amid Greene’s looming threat to try to oust him.
Emerging from a nearly two-hour meeting inside the speaker’s office, Greene said on camera they will have another meeting with Johnson on Tuesday morning.
“I just want to thank you all for waiting — we just had a very long discussion with the speaker. We are going to be meeting again tomorrow based on the discussion that we’ve had. And so, we really don’t have any news to report at this time,” Greene said.
When pressed by ABC’s Rachel Scott if Greene still plans to move forward with a motion to vacate, the congresswoman said: “Again, we had a very long discussion with Speaker Johnson. We will be meeting with him again tomorrow based on the discussion that we had and then I’ll have more information for you.”
Asked again if she plans to force a vote on a motion to vacate, Greene said: “I have been patient. I have been diligent. I have been steady. And I have been focused on the facts. And none of that has changed.”
Greene said the meeting Monday afternoon was about “ways to move forward for a Republican-controlled House of Representatives.”
Johnson said he had “a lengthy, constructive meeting” with Greene and Massie this afternoon.
“We have discussed some ideas, and we are going to meet again tomorrow,” Johnson said.
Johnson said he told Greene and Massie he understands their frustration, saying, “I would really like to advance much more of our conservative policy on a daily basis here. But the reality is we are working with the smallest majority in U.S. history with a one-vote margin.”
“We are going to keep this team together and work for the American people,” Johnson added.
The meeting comes as Greene has said she will force a vote to remove Johnson from the leadership post this week.
The timing of when Greene plans to trigger the motion to vacate, however, remains unclear. The House will hold votes later Monday evening, after which Greene could act on the motion, though she’s made no announcements.
The Georgia congresswoman said last week she was moving ahead with her ouster effort despite pushback from many Republicans and a statement from Democrats that they would step in to help save Johnson.
“Mike Johnson is not capable of that job,” Greene said in a fiery press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on May 1 alongside her co-sponsor Massie of Kentucky. “He has proven that over and over again.”
Greene and Massie continued their criticisms of Johnson publicly on social media on Monday.
“This week we vote on whether Mike Johnson should remain as Speaker,” Massie said in a statement on X. “If you’re happy with what he’s done this year and if you’re looking forward to what he will do the remainder of the year, you should join the Democrat leader Hakeem Jeffries in supporting Mike Johnson.”
Greene has dangled the motion to vacate the speaker’s chair for more than a month. Johnson’s defended himself from her criticism — namely that he’s worked with Democrats to keep the government open, provide foreign aid and more — by emphasizing that he’s a lifelong Republican, but must do his job to serve the entire House with an extremely thin Republican majority.
“This motion is wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country,” Johnson said last week of the ouster threat.
Johnson also received a boost over the weekend from former President Donald Trump, who brought Johnson on stage at the Republican Nation Committee’s spring retreat luncheon at Mar-a-Lago.
Trump praised Johnson “for his leadership and work in the US House,” emphasizing “the need for party unity, collaboration, and expanding the GOP’s House Majority,” according to Trump’s campaign.
Last week, Greene denied she was defying Trump in pushing ahead against Johnson.
“I’m the biggest supporter of President Trump and that’s why I fight every single day. And that’s why I’m fighting here against my own Republican conference to fight harder against the Democrats,” she told ABC News Correspondent Elizabeth Schulze.
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