Ted Cruz Rebukes Marjorie Taylor Greene's 'Utterly Ridiculous' Plan

Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, rebuked Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene's effort to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson, calling it an "utterly ridiculous" plan on Saturday.

Greene, a Georgia Republican, announced on Wednesday that she plans to call a vote on her previously unprivileged motion to vacate Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, sparking criticism from several members of the GOP who warned the move may be damaging to the party.

Greene introduced the motion to vacate Johnson in March after he passed the $1.2 trillion spending package with Democratic support to fund the government. Greene, a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump, has continued to scrutinize Johnson over his support for the bipartisan spending bill that includes $60.8 billion of aid to Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia. Meanwhile, Johnson has continued to face mounting criticism from House conservatives as he pushed forward the bill, which passed House legislation late last month.

Since Greene's announcement, several Republicans have criticized the congresswoman.

Cruz rebuked Greene's plans on Saturday as he told The Hill, "I think it is utterly ridiculous and counterproductive."

Senator Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, also criticized Greene on CNN late last month, describing her as "uninformed" and a "total waste of time."

"She is a horrible leader. She is dragging our brand down. She, not the Democrats, are the biggest risk to us getting back to a majority," he said.

However, Greene has previously fired back at her critics as she said that she doesn't "give a rat's a**" what her colleagues think about her hopes to remove Johnson.

"I voted for Mike Johnson because his voting record before he became speaker was conservative. But once he became speaker, he has become a man that none of us recognize," the congresswoman said Wednesday at a news conference announcing her plans to hold a vote.

Newsweek has reached out to Cruz and Greene's office via email for additional comment.

So far, only two other Republicans have come out in support of Greene, Representatives Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Paul Gosar of Arizona.

Meanwhile, the House Democratic leadership has also said it is against the vote.

If a vote is held on the motion to vacate, Johnson may need to turn to Democrats to save his speakership due to the GOP's slim 4-seat majority. Due to other vacancies, this would leave Johnson with room for only one Republican detractor, barring any Democratic support.

In addition, Representatives Anna Paulina Luna and Matt Gaetz, both Florida Republicans, have warned that Greene's efforts could also lead to the possibility that a Democrat could become speaker.

During an interview on Rumble with Gaetz last month, Luna reiterated her criticisms of Johnson, but warned against the possibility that a Democrat could become speaker.

"The Uniparty has prioritized foreign interests again and placed America last. Speaker Johnson has gone back on most of what he said when we elected him to be Speaker, rendering him almost unrecognizable as a legislator and the leader we chose. That being said, the possibility of a Democratic-controlled House poses a greater risk. We stand as the last barrier that has stopped Biden from completely ruining our country. Given our historically narrow majority, we must not allow the gavel to pass to the Democrats," Luna previously told Newsweek.

Meanwhile, in response to the recent calls for Johnson to vacate, the House speaker warned about what a motion to vacate would mean for Congress during a press conference last month.

"I don't think that would be helpful to us from a political standpoint for the Republican Party to continue to govern, maintain and keep our majority in November. I think that would have been a great hindrance to it. And so, that wouldn't be helpful. Nor does a motion to vacate help us in that regard, either. It would be chaos in the House," he said.