Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene says House Speaker Mike Johnson is not the Republican leader and follows orders from the White House.
What’s Happening: Greene made the comments during a December interview with The New York Times. The newspaper published a profile of her on Monday.
What She Said: “I want you to know that Johnson is not our Speaker. He is not our leader,” Greene told The New York Times in December. “And in the legislative branch — a totally separate body of government — he is literally 100 percent under direct orders from the White House. And many, many Republicans are so furious about that, but they’re cowards.”
What’s Important: While Johnson’s independence and leadership of the house has been called into question by pundits, this is the first time a sitting member of Congress has confirmed suspicions that Johnson has ceded his power to the executive branch.
The Big Picture: The legislative branch is a separate body of government from the executive branch, which includes the White House. Greene’s comments point to tension between some House Republicans and Johnson over his leadership.
