WASHINGTON – Rep. Thomas Massey, R-Ky., has been a staunch ally of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, R-La., in her bid to unseat Speaker Mike Johnson. He voted with him forcing Johnson out of office and predicting that Louisiana’s gavel was about to be stripped.
But now the situation has changed. Massey believes the speaker is safe in his job at least until the Nov. 5 election after Democrats joined with most Republicans to protect Johnson.
“I don’t see it coming back. I think it’s done,” Massie said in an interview before the House adjourned for the long weekend on Wednesday.
If Republicans win the presidential election and gain a majority in the House of Representatives, GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump will affect whether Johnson remains in office next year, he said.
“Practically speaking, a lot depends on Trump,” he said.
But Massie said he’s unlikely to nominate Johnson for speaker.
“Hell or high water, I’m not going to vote for him,” the congressman said.
Massey’s comments could spell the end of the Kentucky Republican’s bid to unseat Johnson this year, after a confident performance. predicted he would be unemployed. Greene led the charge to remove Johnson from office in March after he cut deals with Democrats to fund the government and approve aid to Ukraine and Israel. He forced a vote on May 8, which Johnson’s allies immediately tabled. This 359-43 success After most Democrats joined most Republicans to effectively protect Johnson. A total of 10 GOP lawmakers voted with Greene to oust him.
Since then, efforts have been futile, struggling to gain support. With several major bills expected to pass Congress before the election, many Republicans—including Johnson skeptics— they say they don’t see much of a positive side now replaces it. Unless something fundamentally changes, Johnson’s hammer looks safe this year.
Any member can force a vote on a motion to remove the speaker, but a majority of the House must agree to remove the speaker. Greene did not say whether or when he would bring it up again. His office did not comment on Massey’s remarks, but pointed to his recent statements accusing Johnson of not using his force against what he called an “invasion” of migrants.
“Mike Johnson still hasn’t figured out how to use the power of the wallet,” Greene said wrote at X on Tuesday. “Republicans never seem to understand how to use the power the American people have given us.”
Greene too he said this week, he will push Johnson to impeach President Joe Biden and question whether he really supports Donald Trump, who walked away from the speakership battle by praising both Johnson and Greene. The investigation into Biden’s impeachment has slowed as GOP investigators struggle to find evidence of wrongdoing and wrongdoing. look for an escape route.