Johnson: Greene not ‘proving to be’ a serious lawmaker

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) brushed off Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-Ga.) sharpened threat to force a vote to oust him from his post, in an interview set to air in full Wednesday on NewsNation’s “The Hill.”

“I don’t think she is proving to be, no,” Johnson said in a preview of the interview, which was taped Tuesday night, when asked if he thinks Greene is a “serious lawmaker.”

“I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about her,” the Speaker continued. “I got to do my job, and we do the right thing, and we let the chips fall where they may. That is my philosophy. That is how we are governing.”

The full interview will air at 6 p.m. Wednesday on NewsNation’s “The Hill.”

His defiance comes ahead of a scheduled news conference Wednesday morning in which Greene is expected to address her motion to vacate resolution, which she initially filed in late March. For weeks, the Georgia Republican has declined to force a vote on the motion, even after Johnson championed more aid for Ukraine, which she opposed.

Democratic leaders announced Tuesday that they would provide the votes to shield Johnson from a potential conservative coup, prompting Greene to vow to bring her resolution to the floor. Still, she did not say when it would happen.

“If the Democrats want to elect him Speaker (and some Republicans want to support the Democrats’ chosen Speaker), I’ll give them the chance to do it,” Greene wrote in a long post on social platform X.

“I’m a big believer in recorded votes because putting Congress on record allows every American to see the truth and provides transparency to our votes,” she continued. “Americans deserve to see the Uniparty on full display. I’m about to give them their coming out party!”

The House made history nearly seven months ago by ousting former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who then resigned from Congress at the end of last year.

Johnson, in the interview, vowed to press ahead with a conservative agenda.

“We are going to keep the train on the tracks and show the American people not just what we are against, but what we are for,” the Speaker said. “That there is a conservative agenda that is necessary to get the country back on the right track, and the way for us to do that is to keep and grow the House majority.”

“Descending into chaos and closing the House down and vacating the chair again is exactly the opposite of what needs to happen,” he added.

Updated at 9:50 a.m. EDT

NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.