Rep. Marc Molinaro, a Republican from New York, has accused his fellow Republican lawmaker, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia, of holding Congress “hostage.” This accusation comes after Greene called for the removal of House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana. Molinaro expressed his concern and criticized Greene’s actions, suggesting that they were causing disruption within Congress.
Greene made a bold move last month by introducing a motion to vacate, which aims to remove Johnson from the speakership. This effort gained momentum this week when Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., publicly expressed his support for it. Massie called out Johnson shortly after the latter revealed a plan to provide foreign aid to U.S. allies.
But many Republican lawmakers, especially after the House was frozen for weeks following the ousting of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., condemned Greene’s push.
During an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Molinaro was questioned about the potential repercussions of Republican infighting, especially for GOP lawmakers who are currently embroiled in challenging reelection campaigns.
“I aspire to be evaluated based on my capacity and eagerness to collaborate with individuals from all sides of the political spectrum, as long as they are sincere and dedicated to finding solutions for the challenges that the United States and its citizens confront,” he expressed.
When questioned about his opinion on whether Greene is sincere and truthful, Molinaro expressed his belief that her theatrics and the continuous attempt to manipulate Congress need to be put to an end.
“I refuse to be involved in this matter, and many of my fellow colleagues, both conservative and moderate, share the sentiment that we’ve had enough. It’s time to move forward and leave this kind of nonsense behind,” stated Molinaro, without explicitly mentioning the campaign to oust Johnson.
When Molinaro’s remarks were brought up for comment, Greene spokesperson Nick Dyer responded in an email to USA TODAY with a simple question, “Who is that?”
The Georgia lawmaker’s attempt to remove Johnson from office is currently at a standstill in Congress. However, even if there is a vote to oust the Louisiana lawmaker, Democrats have indicated that they may intervene and prevent him from losing his job, a gesture they did not make for McCarthy.
On Wednesday, Johnson sparked outrage among conservatives in the House when he declared his unwavering commitment to his initial proposal of providing foreign aid to American allies. The House is set to deliberate on three bills with a national security focus, which encompass financial support for Ukraine, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific region, on Saturday.
As more and more right-wing Republicans refuse to provide additional aid to Ukraine, citing the belief that Americans have already contributed enough, the decision to remove Johnson from his position becomes increasingly precarious. If the discontent against Johnson continues to spread among House Republicans, his job could be in even greater jeopardy.
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