Reuters. Republican Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday (May 8) called an attempt to oust him from the job a "misguided effort" and said he hoped it would be the end of "frivolous character assassination".
The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday quickly defeated an effort by firebrand Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene to remove fellow Republican Johnson from his leadership role.
Democrats joined Republicans in a 359-43 vote to protect Johnson's speakership, in a bid to avoid a replay of the chaos that followed in October when Republicans ousted his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy.
Greene's move represented a rare Republican defiance of presidential candidate Donald Trump, who had voiced support for Johnson and called the drive to oust him "unfortunate."
Johnson has angered many hardliners within his razor-thin 217-213 Republican majority this year, by enacting bipartisan spending measures to avoid government shutdowns and aid U.S. allies including Ukraine, without insisting on strict security measures for the U.S.-Mexico border that Democrats reject.
