House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is facing a possible removal vote this week, but has the Republican already been replaced?
With Democrats lining up to support Johnson, some say the minority party is effectively running the show. None other than former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca.) is endorsing Johnson and her party's plans to leave him in his position.
"We support the integrity of the House of Representatives and will not let it be littered up by nonsense," Pelosi told a reporter at the Capitol.
Despite being in the minority, Democrats are exercising significant leverage over Johnson and his divided, narrow majority.
Pelosi defends Jeffries decision to protect Johnson. Says Democrats “support the integrity of the House of Representatives and will not let it be littered up by nonsense.” pic.twitter.com/aoyeFAu1RF
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) May 6, 2024
Pelosi's handpicked minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries (D-Ny.), has made it clear Democrats would help Johnson overcome a vote for removal. Jeffries bragged that Democrats are effectively in the majority during an interview with CBS.
"Even though we’re in the minority, we’ve effectively been governing as if we were in the majority because we continue to provide a majority of the votes necessary to get things done,” Jeffries told CBS. “Those are just the facts.”
Jeffries helped a small group of right-wing Republicans get rid of Johnson's predecessor Kevin McCarthy in a historic vote last year.
But Democrats are loath to repeat that episode, and they have warmed to Johnson, who has proven cooperative with passing their agenda.
Johnson has worked closely with Democrats on supporting Ukraine and keeping the government from shutting down.
The Speaker's Republican critics, like Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), say the support Johnson has received across the aisle proves that he's a patsy for the opposition.
"The entire Democrat Party is lining up behind Mike Johnson," Greene wrote on X.
"First, it was the entire leadership team for the Democrats. Now, Nancy Pelosi, who impeached President Trump TWICE, has given Johnson her seal of approval. What deal has been made??” she added.
While Greene was expected to force a vote on Johnson's removal this week, the two have been meeting in private, leading to speculation that a deal is in the works.
