McCarthy calls Greene ‘serious legislator’ amid Johnson ouster threat

Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) called Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) a “serious legislator” amid her threat to force a vote to oust Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) from his post.

In an interview Saturday night on Fox News’s “One Nation,” McCarthy drew a distinction between the motion to vacate the chair that Greene filed against Johnson and the motion to vacate the chair that Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) filed last fall against McCarthy, resulting in an immediate vote and McCarthy’s ultimate removal from the post.

Greene’s motion was not filed as a privileged resolution, so it did not force an immediate vote. Further action to oust Johnson would require additional steps to call a vote.  

“What she’s doing is much different than what Matt Gaetz … did. She didn’t make it privileged, so it’s not up for a vote,” McCarthy said in the interview. “And the one thing I’ve always found about Marjorie is she’s a very serious legislator that deals with policy. And the best way to deal with anyone like that is sit down and talk to them.”

McCarthy, who was an ally of Greene’s while in office, said he expects Greene would be reasonable if they sat down and discussed the policy issues. He would not say whether he thinks Greene will follow through on the motion to oust Johnson.

“I don’t believe the Speaker has spoken to Marjorie. I think if you sit down and discuss, you will understand you have Congress that you don’t control all. You have to find common ground in between, and that can be done. Those are two conservatives; they can do it,” McCarthy said.

Johnson has indicated that he planned on talking to Greene, but it was not immediately clear whether the two had connected.

The Hill has reached out to Johnson for a response.

While Greene’s grievances against Johnson are rooted fundamentally in policy disagreements, she has given no indication that she’s willing to compromise.

She filed the resolution after Johnson struck a deal with Democrats on a bipartisan spending package that averted a government shutdown but lacked some conservative policy measures that some in his party demanded.

Johnson has also expressed a willingness to let Ukraine aid legislation come up for a vote when the House returns from a two-week recess this week, although he has not said yet what that package specifically would look like. Greene said there were no firm red lines that would compel her to force a vote on Johnson’s ouster, but she has made clear that she was adamantly against passing more Ukraine aid and that any such bill could be a tipping point for her.

Early Monday afternoon, Greene reiterated her position against working with Democrats to pass legislation.

“Our Republican Speaker of the House is upsetting many of our members by relying on Democrats to pass major bills and working with Dems by giving them everything they want. That makes him the Democrat Speaker of the House not our Republican Speaker of the House,” Greene wrote on the social platform X.