It was the second day Johnson huddled privately with Greene, a top ally of Donald Trump, for which MTG has outlined four demands. ‘It’s not a negotiation,’ Johnson insisted.

By Tim Darnell | WRDW Augusta, GA

Published: May. 7, 2024 at 4:01 PM EDT|Updated: 4 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AP) – Embattled House Speaker Mike Johnson is working to position himself as in control in the face of a looming vote for his ouster.

He insisted Tuesday he’s not negotiating with far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., as she weighed whether to proceed with a vote on the motion to vacate him from office.

It was the second day Johnson was huddling privately with Greene, a top ally of Donald Trump, and she outlined four demands.

[Ahead of the meeting with Johnson on Tuesday, Greene shared her list of demands:

• A return to the “Hastert Rule,” which means no legislation is brought to a vote without the support of the majority of the majority party;

• No more funding for Ukraine;

• Defund the special counsel’s probe into former President Donald Trump; and

• Avoid a government shutdown before the election by passing a continuing resolution to automatically enact a 1% spending cut.

Greene said she is not imposing a deadline for Johnson to comply with her four “suggestions.”

They met for more than 90 minutes at the Capitol. Greene said she had ”high expectations” the speaker will deliver.

Greene is threatening to call a vote on her motion to vacate the speaker from office, despite objections from Trump himself and fellow Republicans who want to end the chaos on Capitol Hill.

Another hardline congressman, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, backs her effort and has joined in the meetings.

“This is what people all over the country are screaming for,” Greene said Tuesday on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast. “They want to see this vote.”

The political risks are high for both the speaker, who is under criticism for relying on promised Democratic support to save his job, and the congresswoman, who could become sidelined if few other Republicans join her efforts against Johnson.

Together Johnson, R-La., and Greene, R-Ga., appear to be working on a settlement that would provide a political off-ramp to the standoff and benefit them both by preventing another messy spectacle over the speaker’s gavel.

Tuesday’s meeting came after they met Monday, too.

Greene said little about what the two discussed during the meeting.

“So I just had a long discussion with the Speaker in his office about ways to move forward for a Republican-controlled House of Representatives,” she said.

Johnson said the meeting was constructive.

Johnson has said he has no plans to resign and believes the motion is wrong for the party, the institution and the country.

Earlier Johnson downplayed the idea that there was any deal to be made as met with the lawmakers.

“It’s not a negotiation,” he said. ##

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