As it turns out, some figures in Donald Trump’s orbit feel similarly, despite the Georgia congresswoman’s close relationship with the former president.
“It’s fair to say we don’t think she’s being constructive,” one person close to Trump told POLITICO, saying the former president did not appreciate “internal fighting” among Republicans. “It’s no way to run a party; it’s no way to run a House. You can’t work in that environment.”
Another person close to Trump told the outlet that Greene’s ouster threat was “100 percent distraction. Unwanted. And just stupid.”
“We’re not going to get trapped into this cycle of bullshit that comes out of members of the House,” the person said.
Spokespeople for Greene and Trump did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Greene first introduced the resolution, known as a “motion to vacate,” last month after the House passed government funding legislation that hard-right Republicans argued did not sufficiently advance GOP priorities. She has indicated that she will force a vote on the measure if Johnson holds a vote on approving more aid to Ukraine.
Yet Greene’s ouster could unintentionally make the House passage of Ukraine aid more likely: Several Democrats have said they would oppose Greene’s motion to vacate if he proceeds with the aid. That would be a contrast from October, when Democrats joined Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida’s effort to oust then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, leading to the first successful motion to vacate in American history.
No other House Republican has definitively committed to voting for Greene’s motion to vacate, though a handful have indicated that they share her grievances with Johnson.
Since he was elected speaker in October, Johnson has governed in a manner that significantly departs from the more hardline votes he took as a rank-and-file lawmaker. This includes passing government funding bills that have garnered more Democratic than Republican support.
His GOP defenders have argued that this is simply the nature of divided government and that Johnson is doing the best he can under difficult circumstances. House Republicans’ vote margin, already narrow to begin with, has shrunk in recent weeks as members of Congress announce their early retirements.
Johnson is set to hold an event with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on “election integrity” on Friday, according to multiple reports.
