Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene publicly accused House Speaker Mike Johnson of operating as a conduit for the White House rather than as an independent leader of the legislative branch, according to reporting published Monday by The New York Times.
Greene made the remarks during a series of interviews in which she discussed her recent interactions with President Donald Trump, ongoing frustrations within the House of Representatives, and threats she said have been made against her family.
Her comments come amid reported dissatisfaction among Republican lawmakers with House leadership and as approval ratings for the Republican-led Congress have declined.
“Mike Johnson will not be speaker. He just will not be. There may be only two of us public right now. But he does not have the support of the conference at all.”
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— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) April 16, 2024
“I want you to know that Johnson is not our speaker. He is not our leader. And in the legislative branch — a totally separate body of government — he is literally 100 percent under direct orders from the White House,” Greene told the Times.
“And many, many Republicans are so furious about that, but they’re cowards.”
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Greene’s criticism reflects broader discontent within the House Republican Conference as lawmakers attempt to address issues including health care policy and restrictions on stock trading by members of Congress.
Some Republicans have argued that progress on these priorities has stalled under Johnson’s leadership.
California Rep. Kevin Kiley echoed concerns about leadership direction in comments to reporters in December.
“I certainly think that the current leadership, and specifically the speaker, needs to change the way that he approaches the job. We need to actually go back to leading the House of Representatives,” Kiley said.
Kiley became a vocal critic of Johnson after a proposal to ban mid-decade redistricting nationwide failed to gain traction with House leadership.
Kiley’s district was affected by California’s Proposition 50 redistricting measure, a factor he cited in pushing for national reforms.
Anonymous lawmakers have also voiced blunt assessments. One member described Johnson’s leadership style to NOTUS with a single word: “Shitty.”
The same member added, “If you asked members for their honest review of Johnson, he’d be at a 20% approval rating.”
Tensions spilled into public view in December when New York Rep. Elise Stefanik criticized Johnson on social media over a provision she said was being blocked from inclusion in the National Defense Authorization Act.
Johnson denied her claims, saying they were false.
Stefanik responded by accusing the speaker of misleading colleagues. “The Speaker texted me yesterday claiming he ‘knew nothing about it.’ Yeah right. This is his preferred tactic to tell Members when he gets caught torpedoing the Republican agenda. It wasn’t on your radar?” she wrote.
The dispute highlighted growing friction between House leadership and rank-and-file Republicans over legislative priorities and transparency.
While Johnson has defended his approach as focused on unity and moving legislation through a closely divided chamber, critics say that strategy has left members sidelined.
Johnson’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation regarding Greene’s allegations and the broader criticism.
As Republicans prepare for upcoming legislative battles, the public airing of internal disagreements underscores challenges facing House leadership and raises questions about how the conference will navigate policy fights in the months ahead.
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