Will Thomas Massie push ahead in effort to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson?
Last fall, when conservative ire simmered to a boiling point against Kevin McCarthy, Congressman Thomas Massie warned that forcing the speaker’s removal could make things worse for the fragile GOP majority.
Seven months later, the northern Kentucky firebrand has signed on to a much smaller, longshot movement to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, even though some believe the anticipated turmoil could place an even thinner Republican majority at greater risk in an election year.
“What we need is a new speaker willing to use our majority to wield the power of the purse for the benefit of America,” Massie posted on Monday. “Vacate this #uniparty speaker.”
After privately meeting with Johnson alongside Marjorie Taylor Greene — the Georgia representative who initiated this purge — Massie now faces a choice: Stick to his guns and push for a vote to remove him regardless of the odds stacked against its success or suspend his campaign and preserve his political capital for another day?
Massie lists three reasons for his turnabout on Johnson, who he voted to elevate last October: the speaker’s support for a giant omnibus spending bill, his deciding vote prohibiting law enforcement acquire warrants for the government spying program and acquiescence on $61 billion in aid for Ukraine.
Democrats have signaled they’ll provide the necessary votes to save Johnson’s speakership if a vote reaches the House floor, further infuriating Massie.
“Hakeem Jeffries vows to save Mike Johnson’s speakership. Why wouldn’t he? Johnson has given the Democrats everything they want,” Massie railed last week.
Even though Johnson currently has a Democratic buffer to save his speakership, he’s clearly attempting to talk down Massie and Taylor Greene with future concessions.
Among the demands being floated is no further aid to Ukraine and a rule referred to as the “Massie Rule,” whereby government funding would be cut across the board if no larger agreement is reached before a set deadline, according to Politico.
Massie hasn’t yet fully committed to pulling back or moving forward, according to his office.
“Congressman Massie had a meeting with Speaker Johnson and Representative Greene [Monday], in which they offered several suggestions to the speaker that he agreed to consider,” Massie spokesman John Kennedy said Tuesday. “They agreed to meet again today to see if an agreement can be reached before a motion to vacate is called.”
And Massie isn’t finding any reinforcements at home among the Republican congressional delegation.
Even one of his primary opponents, media personality and former attorney Eric Deters, said his campaign against Johnson is a mistake.
“McCarthy’s ouster was a mistake; Johnson will be another,” Deters said. “Massie never solves or helps to solve a single problem. It’s always just ideology and as [former President Donald] Trump described him, a third-rate grandstander.”
Even as Massie negotiates with Johnson, he’s still courting support for a coup.
On Tuesday, Rep. Warren Davidson, a Republican from Ohio, said the question on the motion to vacate the speakership deserved an answer without being tabled.
On social media, Massie was quick to thank him.
This story was originally published May 7, 2024 at 12:59 PM with the headline "Will Thomas Massie push ahead in effort to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson?."
