Mutiny brews for Mike Johnson as hard-liners threaten to join motion to oust him over Ukraine aid

The growing anger among Mike Johnson’s Republican caucus over his bill to send aid to Ukraine spilled into public view on Thursday as more conservatives threatened to join a motion to oust the speaker from his role.

Rep Matt Gaetz, a Republican and Donald Trump loyalist known for leading a group of Republican rebels in a successful motion to oust Kevin McCarthy from the House speaker role last year, confirmed to reporters on Thursday that he was considering signing on to the motion to vacate.

The motion was first filed by Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene and has so far only been co-sponsored by one Republican: Rep Thomas Massie.

“I didn’t support [a motion to vacate] when I woke up this morning,” Mr Gaetz told CNN’s Manu Raju in the gaggle.

“And do you support one now?” asked Mr Raju in response.

“We got more time in the day,” quipped Mr Gaetz.

He went on to clarify that he thinks ousting the speaker could “put the conference in peril” but said that he and fellow Republican Lauren Boebert were “working to avoid that”.

But he seemed open to joining the motion if Republicans moved to change the rules for such motions “at a time when we’re seeing America’s interested subjugated” to foreign interests, presumably referring to assistance to Ukraine.

Mr Gaetz’s negotiations (and threats to join Ms Greene’s motion) caused a small confrontation on the House floor on Thursday as Republicans prepared to vote on Friday for a rule that would allow passage of the national security supplemental legislation passed by the Senate as well as two pieces of ride-along legislation. The speaker is facing yet another rule vote rebellion from the far right, but it is looking increasingly as if he may have some support from Democrats to get the