Eli Crane ‘Open’ to Supporting MTG’s Motion to Vacate if She Forces Vote

WASHINGTON, DC — Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) said Friday he would be “open” to supporting Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-GA) motion to vacate the chair against Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) if she were to make it privileged.

Crane’s comments came in a press gaggle with reporters shortly after Johnson enlisted the help of Democrats to pass his rule unlocking foreign aid votes on multiple bills, a rule that hardline conservatives, like Crane, opposed.

“If Congresswoman Greene were to trigger a vote on this resolution, you would consider supporting it?” a reporter asked Crane.

“I’m open to it,” he said.

“My position is that I’m open,” Crane noted moments earlier. “I’m not going to tell you guys what I’m going to do. And we’ll see if that materializes. We’ll see if the trigger is pulled on this. That won’t be up to me. But I’m definitely frustrated, like a lot of the conference and a lot of the American people.”

Greene’s motion to vacate, which is now cosponsored by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), is not privileged, meaning the House does not immediately have to take it up.

Asked if he had spoken with Greene about her motion to vacate, which she could make privileged at any time and force the House to consider it within two days, Crane said he had not. He has, however, had communications with Johnson over his frustrations.

“He knows how frustrated I am, and I do it as respectfully as I can, but I’m not gonna pull punches because, at the end of the day, this is so much bigger than me or a motion to vacate or Speaker Mike Johnson,” Crane said. “To me, this comes down to: are we going to try and save this country, or are we just going to continue on with the Washington uniparty that continually sells out the American people?”

Crane further noted that there is “a sense that there’s a souring to” House Republican leadership that goes beyond the House Freedom Caucus “based on the conversations” he is “hearing around the conference.”

“I think that the speaker should take that seriously. I think he’s been told every way that we know how, and we’ll see what he does with that,” Crane added.

Crane’s comments come as his Arizona colleague, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), announced he would back Greene’s motion after Johnson surrendered operational control of the House to Democrats.