Former Speaker McCarthy Believes Johnson Will Likely Remain in Office

Kevin McCarthy, the former House Speaker who resigned from the House last year after being ousted, stated that there should not be concern about a possible removal of House Speaker Mike Johnson, as he believes it will not happen.

“I do not think they could do it again,” the California Republican, the first House speaker in history to be ousted, told CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., filed a motion on Friday to remove Johnson, R-La., due to his support for the $1.2 trillion spending bill. This is the same procedure used in October to remove McCarthy.

McCarthy, who represented California’s 20th district before his resignation, believes that Republicans have “moved past” such actions.

“We’re close to the election,” he said. “We’ve watched what transpired the last time Congress was unable to act for three weeks. You can’t do anything without a speaker. I think we’ve moved past that.”

He encouraged House Republicans to “just move forward” and concentrate on their responsibilities, affirming that Johnson is performing well in his role.

McCarthy expressed confidence that House Republicans can continue to govern effectively despite the party’s majority shrinking to just one seat after several resignations, with the most recent being Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., who is set to leave in April.

“You have the majority,” he stated. “You can still govern and utilize that power effectively.”

McCarthy also mentioned that Johnson is not hesitating on votes out of fear of being removed, including on Ukraine funding.

“The motion Marjorie put in was not privileged so it’s not being called up for a vote,” he explained. “I don’t think the Democrats will support this either. We have various challenges ahead, such as FISA and Ukraine funding. If we focus on the country and its needs, I believe the personalities can resolve their own issues.”