MTG Flips Out After Anti-McCarthy Republicans Block Bid for Speaker

By Richard Moorhead January 4, 2023 at 9:59am

Conservative firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene isn’t happy after a group of Republicans tanked Kevin McCarthy’s bid to become the speaker of the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

McCarthy failed to secure the speaker’s gavel in three separate votes on Tuesday, bringing his candidacy for the position in question.

Twenty Republicans voted for an alternate candidate in the final speaker vote.

Greene unleashed a tweet storm after the House adjourned, accusing Republican dissidents of obstructionism.

The Georgia congresswoman pointed out that members of Congress can’t even be properly sworn in before a speaker is elected.

We can’t even swear in as members of congress until we elect a Speaker.
We can’t form committees until we elect a Speaker.
We (Republicans) can’t fire Nancy Pelosi loyal staff in the House & Capitol until we elect a Speaker.
We can’t investigate anything until we have a Speaker.

— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) January 3, 2023

If the base only understood that 19 Republicans voting against McCarthy are playing Russian roulette with our hard earned Republican majority right now.

This is the worst thing that could possibly happen. https://t.co/ncY6GgGIM1

— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) January 3, 2023

Will Kevin McCarthy win speaker of the House?

Greene even suggested that Republican holdouts could jeopardize the party’s slim majority, opening the door for Democrats to sneak through a speaker candidate of their own with the votes of swing Republicans.

Greene pointed out that one alternative supported by anti-McCarthy Republicans has shown no ambition for the Speaker’s gavel.

Jim Jordan does NOT want to be Speaker and nominated Kevin McCarthy on the House floor for Speaker and is voting for him every round.

Jim Jordan wants to be Chairman of Judiciary, but he can’t because 19 Republicans are not supporting Jim Jordan by voting for McCarthy. https://t.co/8syDEbnM1F

— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) January 3, 2023

Jim Jordan received the votes of the twenty Republicans who refused to support McCarthy in the third speaker vote of the day, according to Newsmax.

Any Republican candidate for speaker can only afford four defections within their own party, according to Time.

203 Republicans are ready to vote to FIRE the 87,000 IRS agents Biden & the Dems hired to target every day Americans. TONIGHT.

19 are holding the country hostage and preventing us from doing our job for THE PEOPLE.

It’s time to elect Kevin McCarthy as Speaker and get to work.

— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) January 3, 2023

With no candidate for speaker possessing a clear path to position, some conservatives have suggested that House Majority Leader Steve Scalise could be an alternative to Jordan and McCarthy.

This is insanity. Give it to the great Steve Scalise!!! And then we’d just ask the Bernie Sanders Bros very politely if they would please not shoot him again.

— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) January 4, 2023

Greene singled out Rep. Matt Gaetz as a “destructionist,” claiming with disruptions like this, “that’s why Republicans fail.”

Here’s why Republicans fail.

But let’s make the art of the deal, hold everyone accountable, and use the power of our voting cards to do what we promised we would do.

pic.twitter.com/RkWSwdNcuR

— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) January 3, 2023

It’s not clear if Republicans intend to force another vote for speaker on Wednesday.

One anonymous lawmaker suggested that McCarthy could potentially secure support (or “present”) votes from Democrats to secure the speaker’s gavel, according to CNN.

Submit a Correction →