'Completely detached': Johnson’s speakership in danger amid GOP’s far right revolt

17 April 2024

Half a year after former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-California) was ousted as House speaker, his successor in that position, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), is in danger of suffering the same fate.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia), claiming that Johnson has become too favorable to the Biden Administration when it comes to federal budgeting and military aid to Ukraine, introduced a "motion to vacate" — the same tool Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) used against McCarthy in 2023. And Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) has announced that he is on board with Greene.

Now, Johnson's future as House speaker remains in doubt as the House Republican majority's hard right — including members of the House Freedom Caucus — slams him in response to his announcement of an aid package.

Gaetz, on Wednesday, April 17, angrily told CNN's Manu Raju that Johnson had made an "abject surrender," declaring, "There is no other way to describe it. It's surrender, it's disappointing. I won't support it."

Similarly, Rep. Eli Crane (R-Arizona) told Raju, "It's disappointing. It's completely detached from what our base wants, what our what our voters want."

Massie, who has made it clear that he is open to the possibility of ousting Johnson as speaker, told Raju, "The strategy is not to try. I think the strategy is to fall on his sword."

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) told Raju he is "very" upset with Johnson, adding, "I am well past the point of giving grace here. We are going to go have some conversations. I don't want to get in front of everything here; I need to go have the conversations I need to go have. But it is not good."

When Raju asked Roy if he would support ousting Johnson, the Texas Republican responded, "I need a little bit more time today, but it is not good.”

Reporting from Capitol Hill early Thursday afternoon, April 17, Raju told his CNN colleague Dana Bash that Johnson may need House Democrats to save his speakership.

Raju told Bash, "Democrats, as you mentioned, could step in to save him because of what he's doing here on Ukraine. This is a different situation from the fall, when McCarthy was ousted. But no doubt about it: Mike Johnson (is) opening up a revolt on the far right with his conference with this move here."

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