Rep. Thomas Massie, a conservative member of the U.S. House of Representatives Republican majority, announced Tuesday that he will cosponsor the motion to vacate the speakership, effectively removing House Speaker Mike Johnson. He is the first Republican to cosponsor the motion, and he did so less than 24 hours after the motion was made by Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene of Georgia.
“I just told Mike Johnson in conference that I’m cosponsoring the Motion to Vacate that was introduced by @RepMTG. He should pre-announce his resignation (as Boehner did), so we can pick a new Speaker without ever being without a GOP Speaker,” Massie wrote.
With a thin Republican majority, it appears likely that Johnson will lose his gavel, as the conservative wing will be joined by most, if not all, Democrats, if only to create chaos in the House Republican majority.
Johnson is an invited speaker at this week’s Alaska Republican Party convention, where he was scheduled to appear by video to speak to Alaska Republican officers who will gather at the Hotel Captain Cook on April 29 and 20. It’s unclear if, considering the coup under way, he will appear.
Massie joined Congress in 2013 after serving as Lewis County judge executive. He represents Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, across Northern Kentucky, covering a large portion of the Appalachian region and the banks of the Ohio River.
On Friday, he signaled his intention to move against Johnson, writing, “we have one less Republican in the majority as Rep Gallagher leaves instead of finishing his term. As a going away gift, Speaker Johnson plans to force the senate to take up Gallagher’s bill to ban tiktok and give Presidential power to ban websites. But still no border.”
He was obliquely referring to a plan Johnson was moving to push foreign aid packages through the House as three separate bills — one for Ukraine, one for Israel, and one for other national security measures. Johnson did not tie border security to the plan.
It would be the second time in six months that the Speaker was fired. On Oct. 3, 2023, the U.S. House voted to remove Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California. That motion to vacate was filed by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, another member of the more conservative side of the House. McCarthy then left Congress later last year after having been the first Speaker in history to be removed by a motion to vacate. Johnson, of Louisiana, became Speaker after a contentious process that ended in a vote on Oct. 25, 2023.
Johnson is a conservative, having worked as an attorney for Alliance Defending Freedom. But his recent tendency to work with the Biden Administration has irritated his former supporters.
Close the border or bring Congress to a halt. Johnson is acting like Chuck Schumer. He is incredibly weak and seems to be bought off.
Johnson looked good but he’s even worse than McCarthy.
Agree, MKZ.
And if this move ends up bringing “chaos” to the House, so be it! In point of fact, the REAL chaos has already been brought to the House by these cuckolded RINO speakers who refuse to even acknowledge, much less attempt to address, the ongoing southern border invasion, among other pressing national matters.
The “chaos” will only be resolved when House GOP members finally grow a set of cojones and actually stand up for the country, and for what is right, rather than reflexively bowing down low to the Swamp Blob in everything that matters.
I still want some semblance of a plan. Otherwise as inept as the GOP is they’ll find a way to give the House a Democrat supermajority.
We almost handed Hakeem Jefferies the Speakers gavel once.
Not keen on pressing luck without a plan.
At this point, I say screw “the plan”!
How about we finally teach the GOP that spineless and gutless RINOs will NOT be tolerated, in the Speaker’s position above all, we just have Einstein’s definition of insanity. Until they learn that lesson, the GOP establishment Lucy is going to continue pulling the football from the voter’s Charlie Brown ad infinitum. To Hell with them! Enough is enough!
I get the frustration. I do. But I think rash action will bite us where we sit.
Speaker Jefferies is a real possibility.
Oh, and don’t get me wrong. It’s time for him to go. Just have a plan so we don’t make a poop
Sandwich a poop buffet.
Uh, Jefferson, the GOP House turned down an opportunity to increase border security by not taking up the Senate’s bill some weeks ago. A direct order from Trump. So which is it–do something about the border and defy Trump, or hammer Johnson for being a sellout for not doing anything about the border. Even the average American is starting to notice and get turned off by the GOP chaos.
Bill, your disingenuous lies disgust me, as they should anyone with any integrity and honesty here.
The House GOP rightly turned down an insidiously destructive, Democrat-written, pro-open-borders bill that would have continued the ongoing invasion of the southern border with only nominal and token reductions in the influx of illegal aliens, and that is IF its provisions would have been enforced. Given the completely rogue and lawless regime in Washington DC today, who are doing everything they can to facilitate and encourage that invasion by illegal aliens, AND coddling them to extreme lengths once illegally ensconced in our country. that is one massively giant “if”.
Please try again, with a modicum of honesty this time.
Ummm, he turned down a turd sandwich from the senate that sent billions to the washing machine, not our border. You seem confused as to what was in that bill. Can’t send The green hobbit anymore munitions as the plant that produces them burned to the ground yesterday, in dear old Scranton of all places.
Increase border security?….by the Democrats?………..after letting 8.3 million illegals into our country? Uh, Bill, what planet do you live on? Pluto?
Americans aren’t as stupid as you make them out to be.
Senate bill allowing 5,000 ILLEGAL immigrants per day; 1.8 million per year? Hard pass.
Zero is the only acceptable option.
Yes that would be great as they are one and the same just look what they have done to this country and tell me how great they are.
The whole lot needs to be locked up for being traitors and thief’s .
I stand with Massie and Green .
Good people. Straight thinking.
Johnson demands we fund foreign border security while we pass on our own border security. He voted against warrant requirements before the government can spy on an American citizen.
He has no guts. We need a real leader.
Spot on!
Congressional scumbags care more about the borders of Israel and Ukraine then our own.
I’m with Massie on this one. Mr. Haircut needs to get the boot. He’s already deep stated.
All I see is conservatives shooting themselves in the foot over and over. Then crying cause they can’t run the race and win.
This is why stupid Republicans cant win anything. Say goodbye to the slim majority Republicans had. Frustrated with all these elected failures.
No this why the GOP infested by squishy, chamber of commerce members need ejection from their seats.
“……..Frustrated with all these elected failures.”
We cannot elect our way out of this. It either continues to get worse exponentially, or the bloodbath begins………which in itself is getting worse exponentially. Sorry to be the one to have to crack and peel the bright, colorful Easter Egg for you, but you can’t have the salvation of Easter without the horror of Good Friday.
Prepare for heavy seas…………
Poor dude couldn’t find a real woman.
Best to evict him now before he gets too entrenched.
I’m not as big a supporter of Johnson as I was, but the GOP needs to learn the lessons of last time.
What’s your plan?
Replace with who?
How are you gonna keep this from becoming Speaker Jefferies?
Are you gonna keep throwing tantrum after tantrum instead of actually planning?
With an election coming up, the GOP as usual is forming a circular firing squad. It’s not a good way to convince voters the GOP is fit to lead.
“……..the GOP needs to learn the lessons of last time……….”
Don’t hold your breath. Neither party learns anything. Ever. Both insist on being the teachers, principals, school boards, and gods. You and I both saw the folly of the McCarthy vacation from the start. This time the gavel will go to Jefferies, just in time for the election……….which may very well be decided by the House. The Demonrats keep claiming that a Trump election will end democracy. I say it’s already over, and the Demonrats will prove my contention this fall.
Prepare for heavy seas………..
This could end really ugly. Speaker Jefferies will make us long for the sensible days of Speaker Pelosi.
I’m not a fan of Johnson, but this easily is cutting off the nose to spite the face.
I watched an interview with Johnson last fall on Glen Greenwalds show. He was strong on the border, strong on fisa and the surveillance state, strong on no optional wars, and strong on the budget.
What happened to his principles? Maybe MTG is right about him being blackmailed. Johnson is a huge disappointment. Rinos are worse then leftists. At least leftists stab you in the chest and not your back.
All this said, Jefferies is very close to becoming Speaker. You can guarantee he will do everything he can to stop Trump.
“………What happened to his principles?………”
Reality has a way of forcing its hand. You say that Ukraine/Israel/Tiawan are “optional”. I say they’re not, and Speaker Johnson has had the intelligence delivered to his plate since he’s become Speaker. He knows. He has all the onfo. And now he’s more than just another vote. In short, fight it now with money, or send tankers of American blood later……..if that isn’t already guaranteed.
If Austria and Czechoslovakia had been armed and fought off/back German annexation in 1938/39, is it possible that the U.S. could have profited from arming them and avoided losing 450K souls? Dunno. We’ll never know. But this time, my bet is that the losses will be exponentially greater than 450K………..
After reading your post, I am not sure if it is gullibility and naivete or a feckless incapability to see reality as it is?
It is not 1939. It is 2024. They are not close to congruent situations.
Our “intelligence” agencies have lied to us for years and also been plain wrong in their analysis (end of cold war, weapons of mass destruction, various color revolutions and coups- including in our country). Why one would trust them at all is beyond me and hence my opening sentence to my post.
Johnson joins a long line of failed “Leaders”. Good Riddance.
Close the border. No Excuses.
Not another penny in foreign aid of any kind. Roads in Alaska are in disrepair. We are fighting over not enough resources to fund local government and schools; while at the same time sending hundreds of $billions overseas?!? Insanity.
Johnson needs to go. It turns out he a mindless Johnson, dare I say a RINO. The funding bill he would not allow the editing of reportedly has three times as much money for Ukraine as Israel and nothing for the boarder. The rules were simple and he violated those rules. This Johnson has to go.
Massy and Green, the republican version of AOC. Dang it’s hard to win with idiots like this on our side.
It’s amusing how all you radical leftist extremists and/or diehard pro-status-quo establishment defenders love to sink to impugning the intelligence of every Republican or conservative with any degree of integrity and principles. Apparently, in your eyes, all those who slither through The Swamp, and every Deep State minion and apparatchik, are somehow NOT idiots themselves. How fascinating your warped sense of priorities and ethics are.
As Speaker, Johnson’s responsibility is to bring legislation to the floor to be voted on. The Republicans will get a blue wave this fall if they don’t accomplish anything
No, “frank”, wrong as usual.
The Speaker’s true job is to act so as to protect the liberties of the American people, by advancing pro-freedom legislation (and don’t hold your breath waiting to ever actually see any), and to BLOCK the insidious anti-freedom legislation championed by your totalitarian heroes in Congress.
And if there is any “blue wave” this fall, it will be strictly courtesy of Dominions and mail-in voting ‘irregularities’, a la 2020.
Frank, one day (maybe) you are going to post something that is actually intelligent and honest, and shock all of us here.
I think a blue wave is possible because so many people who know better won’t bother to vote.
Play RINO games, win RINO prizes. Figured he’d learn from Kevin McCarthy. Unless the question really becomes, what info did the FBI have on Johnson that made him flip on the FISA issue. Wouldn’t it have been nice had Johnson acted like a true conservative and actually moved forward a conservative agenda rather than now forcing us to go through this mess again rather than making progress. I liked Johnson. I was hoping he could get things done. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
So when the deep state sets up a ginormus memory facility in Utah to capture the entire Internet and phone activity, what did you think they were going to do with it? Not control politicians?
I keep getting these emails from Nancy Dahlstrom about how I should vote for her because she has Mike Johnson in her corner.
Hard pass. Begich gets my vote but after this I am sending a donation to his campaign. I don’t want Johnson having any control over our congressman.
Lessee. A one seat majority in the House and this bozo wants to vacate the Speaker? We aren’t called the Stupid Party for nothing.
Prediction: When Hakeem Jeffries is installed as Speaker this summer, the first piece of legislation out of the House will posit that whatever Trump did on Jan 6 2021 was an insurrection, meaning he is not eligible to run for president. Schumer will get it passed in the Senate with Lisa’s help and Biden will sign it, meaning there will be no Republican presidential candidate on the ballot in November.
Play stupid games. Win stupid prizes. Cheers –
This move is stupid without a plan to prevent exactly what you’re predicting.
I swear I don’t understand the MTG obsession. She is an ineffective legislator, has no respect in either party, and is a bomb thrower just to throw bombs.
She’s not a fighter, she’s an anarchist.
Agimarc, the more I think about your hypothetical scenario here, the more I say “Bring it on!”
LET the Speakership fall to Jeffries! LET the Democrats remove Trump from the ballot! THEN we will have the constitutional crisis, secessions and civil war that are long overdue and inevitable.
Be careful with that. It was the same thinking behind allowing the 16th Amendment to go to the states. It’ll never pass! Sadly, it did. Cheers –
Here we go again. I wish republicans would miss one time when shooting themselves in the foot.
My biggest issue with Johnson is the crickets.
I can count. I know the slim majority, and probably 1/5 of them are unreliable. Reality street is unforgiving.
What annoys me the most is the lack of honest explanation on his actions. Don’t got the votes? Say so. Adding in border security will kill the aid package? Say so and let it die.
Stop treating us like mushrooms.
It’s time for these extreme far-rightists to stop playing their childish power games. The next time they knock off the Speaker, I fear enough disgusted middle-of-the-roaders will vote for a democrat speaker candidate. It only takes two or three…
So many of the comments on here are perfect examples of what is wrong with the GOP right now. It is filled with ideologues who are more concerned with getting everything their way instead of governing. Republicans voted this guy in, so they should deal with the consequences of that vote, which means actually doing their job.
If the democrats would have the guts to ditch their ridiculous obsession with identity politics, they could beat the GOP in every national level election with this level of incompetency from Republicans.
Your commentary is routinely specious, disingenuous, dishonest, irrelevant, and just plain stupid.
Why do you bother with your radical leftist extremist babble here, anyway?
Give it up already. You are nothing more than an inflamed pimple on the ass of MRAK.
Johnson has proven one thing I never believed until now. Most of the Democrats and most of the Republicans are controlled opposition. The threats to that system are the few statesmen who refuse to play ball.
Johnson is just another double dipped RINO who believes that unquestioned funding of Middle East wars and the corrupt Zelensky regime in Ukraine will somehow bring about the Rapture! Somehow, the thought of a bunch of naked, pasty white, overweight religious zealots ascending to Heaven on the day of reckoning turns my stomach. Lunatics like Johnson have no business in Congress, much less as Speaker of the House.
Your usual ad hominem is all too predictable. And let’s remember what your being so insulting about; that I had the temerity to suggest that the GOP actually do their job and govern. Apparently that’s a bridge too far for you and the suggestion that people in Congress actually pass bills is “radical leftist extremist babble”.
At least I’m irritating you, which does bring me joy.