Democrats planning vote on ousting Greene from panels

WASHINGTON (AP) — A top Democrat said the House will vote Thursday on removing Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from her committees, intensifying the stakes over the Georgia Republican's online embrace of conspiracy theories and violent racist views.

The announcement by No. 2 House Democrat Steny Hoyer of Maryland came Wednesday as showdowns approached over Greene and Rep. Liz Cheney, who've antagonized opposing wings of a Republican Party struggling to define itself without Donald Trump in the White House.

House Republicans, under bipartisan pressure to punish Greene, have been hoping to take action on their own — such as removing her from one committee — and avoid a difficult political vote for many in the GOP.

But Hoyer released a statement saying that after speaking to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., "it is clear there is no alternative to holding a floor vote on the resolution to remove Rep. Greene from her committee assignments. "

A McCarthy aide said he would discuss the situation with his GOP colleagues.

A full House vote would be a political ordeal for many Republicans, forcing them to go on record defending or punishing a social media-savvy lawmaker who has won enthusiastic support from Trump.

Republicans had appointed Greene to the Education and Labor Committee, a decision that drew especially harsh criticism because of her suggestions that school shootings in Connecticut and Florida could be hoaxes. She's also on the Budget Committee.