Boebert: ‘It makes no difference to me’ if Jeffries or Johnson is Speaker
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) said Tuesday there is “no difference” to her whether Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) keeps his job or Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) becomes Speaker.
“We are passing the democratic agenda each and every day that we’re here. We have a slim majority in the House. And it’s — everything’s being passed overwhelmingly with Democrat support. So it makes no difference to me if it’s Hakeem Jeffries as Speaker or Mike Johnson right now,” Boebert told CNN’s Manu Raju in an interview Tuesday.
Boebert’s comments came a day before Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) unveiled her plan Wednesday to force a vote next week on whether to oust Johnson from the top spot. Only two other Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), have publicly backed her effort.
The Georgia Republican’s efforts face an uphill battle now that Democratic leaders have vowed to protect Johnson from the motion to vacate. Greene, joined by Massie on Wednesday, acknowledged that their efforts could fail while announcing the plans.
“If this vote fails and the whole conference, the whole Congress, supports the uniparty, let me tell you something, that is not a failure, it’s a win for the American people because that’s a list of names,” Greene said. “They deserve that list.”
Johnson has criticized Greene and her efforts, saying during an interview with NewsNation’s “The Hill” Tuesday evening that she is not “proving to be” a serious lawmaker. Shortly after Greene’s announcement Wednesday, Johnson denounced her plans in a statement.
“This motion is wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country,” Johnson wrote.
Greene is bringing her motion to vacate against Johnson after the lower chamber approved a foreign aid package last month. She said Sunday in a social media post that Johnson’s “days as Speaker are numbered,” referencing the package that included funding for Ukraine.
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