Greene Files Motion to Oust Johnson as Speaker

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) began the process of calling for House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) removal on Friday; no other Republicans joined her on Friday afternoon, per Politico (Lean Left bias).

Key Quotes: While the often-controversial congresswoman said she did not “wish to inflict pain on our conference and to throw the House in chaos,” adding that “this is basically a warning,” Greene also said, “It’s time for us to go through the process, take our time, and find a new Speaker of the House that will stand with Republicans in our Republican majority instead of standing with the Democrats.” A spokesman for Johnson brushed off Greene’s move, saying the GOP leader “always listens to the concerns of members, but is focused on governing.”

For Context: Greene and other hardline conservative House Republicans opposed Johnson’s support of a bipartisan compromise $1.2 trillion funding bill, which House lawmakers passed less than a day before Friday’s government shutdown deadline. Because this purportedly gave up Republicans’ “leverage,” Greene said Johnson had “betrayed our conference and broken our rules.” 

How the Media Covered It: While some coverage focused on the budget compromise’s passage, most major headlines highlighted Greene’s move. Some coverage noted echoes of the push to oust then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, but some notably omitted McCarthy. Coverage in major left-rated outlets like CNN (Lean Left bias) used words like “revolt” and “mutiny” to describe Republican opposition to Johnson.