House Speaker Mike Johnson met Monday with Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie, the Republican hardliners who announced last week that they would seek to force a vote to oust him within days.
Johnson and Greene both emerged tight-lipped from their meeting, which reportedly lasted about two hours, with both saying that they would continue their discussions tomorrow. Greene did not say whether she would back off her threat to seek Johnson’s removal. A motion to vacate the speaker’s job appears doomed to fail given that Greene has failed to win broad support from her fellow Republicans while Democrats have said they would look to block her effort.
Johnson said he told his critics at the meeting that he understands and shares their frustration. He told reporters that the lawmakers “discussed some ideas” and that the session was productive. “I think we can get everybody on the same page,” he said.
Greene has continued her public campaign against Johnson, attacking him on social media multiple times on Monday.
Amid the Republican infighting, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries told “60 Minutes” in an interview that aired Sunday that his party is essentially controlling the House even though it holds fewer seats. "Even though we’re in the minority, we effectively have been governing as if we were in the majority because we continue to provide a majority of the votes necessary to get things done," Jeffries said. "Those are just the facts."
