Marjorie Taylor Greene Leads Charge Against House Speaker, Demanding Change

Greene's fiery denunciation of Johnson stems from the recent passage of a $1.2 trillion omnibus spending bill that required Democratic votes to clear the House. Greene and her band of hard-line conservatives had demanded a host of conservative policy priorities be included -- a crackdown on illegal immigration, severe restrictions on abortion funding, and more. When their demands went unmet, Greene filed a motion to remove Johnson as Speaker, dismissing it as merely "a warning and a pink slip."

But the Georgia congresswoman is now taking her rebellion against the Republican establishment to new heights. "People are fed up with Republicans that say one thing and turn around and literally join the flock and just continue the same old crap everybody's tired of," she fumed. Greene even scoffed at concerns from colleagues that ousting Johnson could inadvertently hand control of the House to Democrats. "We cannot get anyone more moderate than Mike Johnson...I would argue Mike Johnson, we can't get any further left than Mike Johnson. I think the Democrats might be happier with him than they are with Hakeem Jeffries."

While Greene claims her anti-Johnson effort is "gaining momentum," she has notably refused to reveal how many Republican lawmakers are actively supporting her long-shot bid to depose the Speaker. Johnson, meanwhile, appears unfazed by the right-wing insurrection, telling Fox News: "All of my other Republican colleagues recognize this is a distraction from our mission, which is to grow the House majority, win the Senate, and win the White House."

Indeed, Johnson seems to retain enough goodwill among mainstream House Republicans to withstand Greene's onslaught -- at least for now. Rep. Matt Gaetz, who spearheaded the successful effort to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, has declined to join Greene's crusade against Johnson. "If we vacate this speaker, we'll end up with a Democrat speaker," Gaetz cautioned, suggesting some Republicans would cross the aisle to install Minority Leader Jeffries if Johnson were toppled.

In the court of conservative public opinion, however, Greene's scorched-earth campaign against Johnson is playing well with the Republican base. At events across her Georgia district, Greene reports hearing refrains of anger at Johnson: "Do they have Mike Johnson's wife tied up somewhere and have a gun to her head? What is wrong with Mike Johnson?"

Such vitriol underscores the widening rift between the GOP's firebrand populists and its establishment wing over core principles and legislative tactics. Greene and her allies accuse Johnson of abandoning conservative ideology -- "We want a secure border...this is giving them every point of leverage we have," she lamented of the spending bill. Meanwhile, more pragmatic Republicans fear a protracted civil war could hand control of the House back to Democrats and derail the party's agenda.

As the intra-party feud rages on, CNN's Jake Tapper pondered whether Greene grasps the historical references being lobbed her way by critics. Quoting Rep. Don Bacon, who urged Johnson to be a "Churchill, not a Chamberlain" in confronting Russian aggression, Tapper mused: "I'm not sure that Marjorie Taylor Greene knows who Churchill or Chamberlain are."

Whether a student of history or not, Greene's bombastic brand of politicking ensures her place at the vanguard of the GOP's anti-establishment insurrectionists. And her relentless attacks on Speaker Johnson show no signs of letting up -- even if they ultimately fall short of the regime change she seeks.