House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) expressed his disapproval of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-Ga.) motion to vacate against Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), stating that it is “not the right business model.”
In an interview with Fox News’ Martha MacCallum on Friday, Comer said, “Now Mike Johnson walked into a bad situation… It’s gotten a lot worse since he’s been here. But changing Speakers is not the right business model.”
Greene has intensified her threat against the Speaker due to his efforts to provide additional aid to Ukraine. She filed the motion to vacate against Johnson in late March and has gained at least three GOP co-sponsors.
Marjorie Taylor Greene (Credits: CNN)
Comer’s comments suggest that he believes Johnson should remain Speaker until the end of the current session, after which they can “re-huddle” and decide on a direction for the next year.
He also expressed his disapproval of the motion to vacate that led to the historic ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) late last year, calling it a “mistake” that “really disrupted” the House Republican Conference negatively.
When asked about former Speaker Newt Gingrich’s (R-Ga.) comment that the motion to vacate was “totally stupid” due to the difficulty of finding 218 supporters, Comer appeared to agree, standing behind Johnson. He acknowledged that there isn’t another candidate that 100% of the conference would rally behind.
James Comer (Credits: The Courier-Journal)
However, Comer also expressed his opposition to the Ukraine aid provisions within the foreign spending package introduced by Johnson nearly a week ago. Despite pressure from Democrats and some Republicans to pass additional assistance for Ukraine, Comer stated, “I’m opposed to that…
I don’t believe the hard-working, tax-paying people in Kentucky want to see their hard-earned tax dollars go to Ukraine. We’ve already given Ukraine a lot of money.” He emphasized that while he hopes Ukraine defeats Russia, America has already gone above and beyond, and the priority should be securing the US border.
The House advanced a group of bills with the help of Democrats that would send more aid to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and the Indo-Pacific region, among other priorities, which has dismayed some conservatives. Comer’s opposition to Ukraine aid reflects the divisions within the Republican conference on this issue.
