by WASHINGTON — A member of the House Freedom Caucus confirmed Wednesday that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia, has been removed from the conservative caucus, citing her repeated «attacks» on fellow Republicans.
“She is not a member of the Freedom Caucus and should not be in the future,” Rep. Ken Buck, R-Col., said during an appearance on NBC News’ “Meet the Press NOW,” in what were some of the most controversial comments. final statements so far on Greene’s status in the group.
A fundraising powerhouse with a massive social media following, Greene has been one of former President Donald Trump’s leading supporters on Capitol Hill. Her removal from her Freedom Caucus makes her the first lawmaker to be ousted from the group started in 2015 by Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, then Representatives. Mark Meadows and Ron DeSantis and others.
Other members of the ultra-conservative caucus had said that Greene was voted out June 23 for his altercation with Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Colorado Republican, and his vocal support for the ultimately successful speaker bid of Rep. Kevin McCarthy and his billion Dollars. debt ceiling agreement with President Joe Biden.
But for the past two weeks, there has been confusion about her status after Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry, R-Penn., declined to comment on the matter and Greene insisted no one had informed him that she had been expelled. . Some members of the House Freedom Caucus suggested that Greene has been avoiding Perry’s attempts to contact her with the news.
By Wednesday, Perry and Greene still had not spoken personally on the issue, even though they would have been together on the House floor during the vote.
“No, I haven’t talked to him about any of that,» Greene said. «I’m mostly focused on the job I’m doing and serving my district, I’m not interested in any drama.»
A spokesman for Greene had no immediate comment on Buck’s comments. The congresswoman did not attend a Freedom Caucus meeting Tuesday night after lawmakers returned to Washington from the July 4 recess.
Buck, who is one of the milder members of the often boisterous Freedom Caucus, said Greene’s ouster was not really due to his political views, but rather his repeated attacks on other members of the group, including in January, when Greene criticized his colleagues for blocking McCarthy from reaching for the speaker’s gavel.
“She has consistently attacked other members of the Freedom Caucus in an irresponsible manner and as a result, she was kicked out of the Freedom Caucus,” Buck told NBC News, “and she shouldn’t be, shouldn’t be a member. ”
“We have diverse opinions in the Freedom Caucus. It is not monolithic, but to the extent that it attacks other members, it should not be tolerated over and over again,» Buck continued. “It is not a simple attack. It’s not what happened on the court a few weeks ago with Lauren Boebert. It is a series of very poorly thought out attacks against other members.”
