Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., told Newsmax on Thursday that despite voting to advance the motion to vacate Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., she "wouldn't change the speaker" now.
"At the beginning of the [current] Congress, we fought a lot to change [former Democrat Speaker] Nancy Pelosi's rules that made her into a queen; we don't have queens and kings," Spartz said on "Wake Up America." "A lot of Americans before us died not to have kings and queens, and speaker of the House has to have rules and not really try to push whatever agenda they want on other members. So, one of the rules to keep accountability on the speaker was to be able to move motion to vacate, which existed for 100 years before Nancy Pelosi changed and only leadership could move that motion. As you know, no one will ever do that.
"When we had a motion for Speaker [Kevin] McCarthy, I didn't vote to vacate him because I felt, by the end of the time he was speaker, he actually started understanding that we need to govern. But I think it's a fair thing. The members need to say on the floor how they feel about their leader, and I think I did the same. I was consistent with my vote, and I think there was a lot of frustration. At this point, I wouldn't change the speaker. This Congress pretty much is a lost cause at this point before the election, but I think the motion needed to go to the floor. That is the rules of the House."
Spartz was asked why Greene is persisting in her motion to vacate the speaker when she likely knows she doesn't have the votes to move it forward.
"You probably need to ask Marjorie why she's doing it, but I'm sure it's probably frustration, as a lot of other members. There's a lot of members feel like it's probably not the time and we should have this discussion after November because Democrats will be attacking us and, unfortunately, people don't understand what's happening inside, or they understand much more, and then people worry that it could hurt us in November," Spartz said.
"I truly believe what could hurt us is not delivering on any important issue this Congress, at all. I always say, let's take at least one hill — I used to say three — to die on … and let's deliver at least on one issue and I think we didn't deliver, and that is unfortunate."
Last year, Spartz announced she will not run for reelection, but reversed course in February. The two-term congresswoman fended off eight Republican challengers Tuesday to secure her place on the ballot in November.
Of her decision to enter the race, Spartz said she felt compelled to "give people a choice" and added that there are a number of issues she's "hoping to deliver on."
"We're not really dealing in debt and inflation," she said. "It's, after the border security, the most important national security crisis we have been neglecting for decades. … So, I felt like I need to give people a choice and I cannot let people down."
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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