Marjorie Taylor Greene and Speaker Johnson fight over Ukraine and Jack Smith as she tries to oust him: Latest

Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, is joining Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene in calling for Speaker Mike Johnson’s removal.

Mr Massie joined the meeting between Ms Greene and the speaker on Monday. He also opposes US aid to Ukraine, one of the chief complaints Ms Greene has against the speaker.

“This week we vote on whether Mike Johnson should remain as Speaker,” Mr Massie wrote on X. “If you’re happy with what he’s done this year and if you’re looking forward to what he will do the remainder of the year, you should join the Democrat leader Hakeem Jeffries in supporting Mike Johnson.”

Speaker Mike Johnson declared that his meetings with Marjorie Taylor Greene and her ally Thomas Massie are “not a negotiation.”

“Yesterday, I met at some length with Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie,” Mr Johnson said at a Tuesday morning press conference. “It was a good discussion, it was productive. We’ll visit again today. It’s not a negotiation.”

Mr Johnson, Ms Greene and Mr Massie all met on Monday afternoon for more than an hour. Ms Greene and Mr Massie are threatening to force a vote on Mr Johnson’s removal this week.

“On an hourly basis, I hear suggestions and thoughts from members,” Mr Johnson continued. “My door is open to members. There’s nothing unusual about this…This is not a negotiation at all.”

“I take Marjorie and Thomas’ ideas, and everyone else’s, equally and we assess them on their own value.”

Now, Ms Greene wants him to commit to not passing any more aid to Ukraine, according to Punchbowl News.

The pair are set to meet for a second time this afternoon.

Georgia Republican Marjorie Talyor Greene and Speaker Mike Johnson will meet for a second time this afternoon.

Her demands from Mr Johnson include a guarantee he will not pass more aid for Ukraine and a commitment to defunding Special Counsel Jack Smith’s probes into former president Donald Trump, Punchbowl News reports. Mr Smith’s investigations include the classified documents case and the 6 January 2021 riots probe.

However, these asks are largely symbolic, given the US Senate and President Joe Biden would likely block both of these moves.

Read more about how a motion to vacate works — and how the process was used to oust the last Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy:

Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, is standing beside Marjorie Taylor Greene and her call to vote on ousting Speaker Mike Johnson this week.

“This week we vote on whether Mike Johnson should remain as Speaker,” Mr Massie wrote on X. “If you’re happy with what he’s done this year and if you’re looking forward to what he will do the remainder of the year, you should join the Democrat leader Hakeem Jeffries in supporting Mike Johnson.”

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene says her fellow representatives will need to choose between “MAGA” or “MUGA” as her attempt to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson moves ahead.

On Wednesday, the right-wing Georgia firebrand, accompanied by fellow right-wing Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, said she will call a privileged motion next week that would trigger an automatic vote within 48 hours over Johnson’s removal.

Ms Greene and Mr Massie criticised Mr Johnson’s reliance on Democrats to pass everything from spending bills to reauthorisation of surveillance legislation and aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. They blasted work between Mr Johnson and Mr Jeffries as a culmination of the “uniparty.””

Ms Greene then brandished a hat that said “MUGA.”

“The uniparty is ‘Make Ukraine Great Again,’” she said. “The uniparty is about funding every single foreign war. They think this is the business model that needs to be done.”

Last Tuesday should have been the perfect day for Marjorie Taylor Greene to trigger her motion to vacate. It had been more than a week since the House had voted on the foreign aid package that provided assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. That vote allowed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to blast isolationists in the Republican party and gloat at their diminished power. MTG was poised to bite back.

Instead, Democrats threw House Speaker Mike Johnson a lifeline. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar all said they would join in a motion to table Greene’s motion, specifically citing the right-wing conspiracy theorist from Georgia as their reason for doing so.

Read more analysis from Eric Garcia, Washington, DC Bureau Chief for The Independent:

Read more from Gustaf Kilander and Eric Garcia: