House Speaker Mike Johnson has brushed off Republican congresswoman Taylor Greene's attempt to impeach him, saying she isn't serious about the job.
"I don't spend a lot of time thinking about her. I have my job and I do the right thing, no matter what the consequences are. That's my philosophy, that's how I govern," US House Speaker Mike Johnson said of Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene in an interview with the Hill , which aired on May 1.
Asked whether he considered Ms Greene a serious lawmaker, Mr Johnson said he had not seen the congresswoman "prove that she is serious about the job".
The US House Speaker also affirmed that he will continue to push his conservative agenda, to "get the country back on track". "To fall into chaos and shut down the House and leave the Speaker's seat vacant again is not something that should happen," he stressed.
US House Speaker Mike Johnson at Capitol Hill on April 20. Photo: Reuters
Republican Senator Greene previously announced that she would request a vote to remove House Speaker Johnson from office next week because she found him unfit to hold the position. This is the second step in the process of removing the Speaker of the US House of Representatives.
Ms. Greene filed a "recall motion" to remove House Speaker Johnson in late March, starting the process of ousting him. If her effort is successful, US lawmakers will have to elect a new House Speaker for the second time since October 2023.
However, Ms. Greene's efforts are unlikely to succeed, as the majority of Republicans in the US House of Representatives have opposed the move to remove Mr. Johnson from office. Many Democrats have also announced that they will vote to protect Mr. Johnson from the risk of being ousted.
"If the Democrats want to elect him as Speaker and some Republicans want to support a Democratic-chosen Speaker, I will give them the opportunity to do that," Greene responded to the opposing lawmakers.
The Speaker of the House needs at least 218 votes from the 435-member House to retain his position. Republicans currently hold 217 seats in the House, while Democrats hold 212, with six seats vacant. So far, only two Republicans have backed Greene, meaning Johnson cannot be removed from office without Democratic support.
Mr Johnson, 52, was elected the 56th Speaker of the US House of Representatives in October 2023, ending three weeks of turmoil after his predecessor Kevin McCarthy was ousted.
Ngoc Anh (According to Hill/Reuters/AFP )
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