Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene appears to be targeting Speaker Mike Johnson with claims that veer into conspiracy.
Greene's attempt to unseat the speaker, citing his support for a spending deal to prevent a government shutdown and his stance on aid to Ukraine, has marked a new height in her controversial actions.
In an interview with Tucker Carlson on Wednesday, Greene said, without any evidence, that Johnson may have been blackmailed, while questioning his deviation from conservative values.
This claim adds to a series of baseless allegations she has been known to propagate, including questioning the loyalty of fellow Republicans towards conservative agendas.
“Johnson has made a complete departure of who he is and what he stands for, and to the point where people are literally asking, 'Is he blackmailed?” she said during the interview.
When Carlson asked her to give more details, she said she didn't know whether Johnson had been blackmailed.
However, she said that Johnson had defied his faith by backing a bill that included funds for a women’s health clinic and a nonprofit group that assists trans people, and she questioned what would convince him to do so.
“I mean, how does that even happen from a Christian conservative Republican speaker?” she added.
Greene's speculative narrative includes Johnson's backing of legislation indirectly supporting services she perceives as conflicting with conservative Christian values.
On March 22, Greene made a significant move in the U.S. House of Representatives by filing a motion to remove Johnson from the chair position. This action mirrored the procedural strategy that led to Kevin McCarthy being removed as speaker, causing the House to be without effective leadership last October.
Despite the procedural echo of past congressional upheavals, the move by Greene has not garnered widespread media frenzy typically associated with such dramatic challenges to House leadership.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Greene, however, remains confident that her efforts will eventually catalyze substantial change within the Capitol.
Although Greene's motion marks a historic moment — being only the fourth of its kind in congressional history — many of her colleagues have viewed it skeptically, doubting its potential for success.
Greene has reportedly remained somewhat ambiguous about her plans to follow through with this threat, even as she vehemently criticizes Johnson's leadership.
This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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