Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) opposed any attempt to unseat Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as the minority leader of the House, citing potential unintended effects in a chamber with a narrow majority.
On former Trump adviser Stephen Bannon’s “War Room” podcast on Monday, Greene stated, “I honestly think that’s a horrible approach when we’re looking at having a very razor-thin majority, with perhaps 219 — we’re talking about one vote.”
Greene made his remarks in the midst of rumors that McCarthy could face protest votes from Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), a former leader of the hardline House Freedom Caucus.
Biggs informed the media on Monday that nobody presently has the necessary 218 votes to become Speaker. While without confirming that it would be Biggs, his spokesman informed The Hill that McCarthy will have competition from a different candidate.
Greene forewarned on Monday that a few moderate House Republicans would side with Democrats in favor of a compromise speaker candidate like Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.).
Greene stated on the show that it is “very, very risky right now to manufacture a leadership challenge, especially for Speaker of the House,” given that they are planning to let Liz Cheney to potentially become Speaker.
Since Cheney won’t be running for office again the next year, the Speaker of the House may be chosen from outside the House. However, this situation is not thought to be significant, and she is not running for the position.
McCarthy and Greene have become close since the former questioned whether McCarthy would have the support to become Speaker last year. She participated in a House GOP platform rally in Pennsylvania in September, and now that McCarthy has promised to reinstate her committee membership as Speaker, she is seeking to be appointed to the House Oversight and Reform Committee.
In a recent New York Times magazine interview, Greene stated, “I think that he’s going to give me a lot of freedom and a lot of leeway to be the best Speaker of the House and to please the base.”
On Tuesday, House Republicans will elect conference leaders, which includes choosing a candidate for speaker. To win the Speakership on the first day of the new Congress in January, the nominee must receive the support of the majority of House Republicans in a secret vote. This majority must equal at least 218 votes in a chamber that has been duly sworn in.
Because of McCarthy’s opposition to requests from the caucus for rules changes that would weaken the authority of the leadership, conservative members of the House, including several members of the House Freedom Caucus, have withheld their support for him.
Biggs told reporters last week that he was beginning to doubt whether McCarthy should remain Speaker because of McCarthy’s hesitation to bring up impeachment articles. McCarthy has previously stated that he would not seek a “political” impeachment.
The Arizona congressman has filed articles of impeachment against Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of homeland security.
Biggs told reporters last week, “I think that his recent statement that we shouldn’t impeach Secretary Mayorkas shows maybe we’re not going to be as aggressive going ahead as we should be.
