Republicans have quietly started to talk about removing House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), according to a report.
Johnson has been criticized by fellow Republicans and rival Democrats in recent weeks — and now the GOP majority has shown signs it’s unhappy with him, The Atlantic reported Tuesday.
“Johnson’s own members, in the past month, have accused him of stretching if not wholly disregarding the truth, and his assertion last Wednesday that he has a firm grip on power was correct only in the most technical sense,” according to The Atlantic.
“On the day he uttered it, a group of Johnson’s most electorally vulnerable soldiers abandoned him to help Democrats force a vote on extending health-care subsidies, and a longtime lawmaker became the 25th House Republican — with many more expected to follow — to announce that he would not seek reelection next year.
“Republican lawmakers risk losing their majority in Congress, while more GOP leaders are expected to leave or retire. Those reasons for leaving span beyond Johnson, yet his “unwavering loyalty — some would say obsequiousness — to Trump has defined his speakership.”
One House Republican, who was unnamed, told The Atlantic that Johnson has been well-meaning, but that has caused problems.
“I think he’s a good man, a good attorney, a good constitutionalist, and a bad politician,” the Republican told The Atlantic.
Another unnamed GOP lawmaker echoed that sentiment.
“In his obsession with not offending anyone, he offends everyone,” another Republican said.
It’s unclear if Johnson will hold onto his job in 2026. Before announcing her departure from Congress, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) denounced Johnson’s leadership publicly. Other Republicans have disapproved of him.
“Whether the speaker’s job is secure has become a topic of some debate inside the Capitol. The most obvious threat will come in the November elections, but could Republicans depose Johnson as they did his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy?” The Atlantic reported.
“Stefanik told The Wall Street Journal earlier this month that if a vote were called tomorrow, Johnson would not have enough support from Republicans to stay as speaker. [Marjorie Taylor] Greene has also reportedly been talking with colleagues about an effort to oust Johnson, but she plans to leave the House next month.”
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) was asked if he was ready to see new leadership, and told The Atlantic this:
“‘Yeah, but I mean, look, it’s not coming up,’ he said. ‘You never know in this town.’ With Johnson’s support, Republicans changed House rules to make it harder to remove a speaker in the middle of a term. ‘Usually there are tremors before a speaker goes down,’ one House Republican told us, ‘and this speaker has faced a number of tremors.’”
The post ‘He offends everyone’: Republicans reportedly begin talks to ‘oust Mike Johnson’ appeared first on Raw Story.
