Greene's clash with Boebert was the last straw for conservatives, some of whom felt Greene was growing too close to Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has reportedly been removed from the conservative House Freedom Caucus after a series of disagreements, including calling her colleague Rep. Lauren Boebert a “bitch” on the House floor.

Rep. Andy Harris, a Maryland Republican who serves on the board of the House Freedom Caucus, said that the group held a formal vote on Greene’s status last month, according to Politico and CNN. CNN separately reported that the group’s rules are tightly held, but Harris believes that for all intents and purposes she has been removed.

“As far as I know, that is the way it is,” Harris told Politico.

Harris told Politico that Greene’s clash with Boebert was the final straws for the Georgia Republican. Conservatives had been upset with Greene for months due to her close ties to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Historically, the Freedom Caucus has clashed with GOP leaders, most notably former Speaker John Boehner.

“I think the way she referred to a fellow member was probably not the way we expect our members to refer to other fellow, especially female, members,” Harris told Politico.

Greene was incensed that Boebert was, in her view, co-opting a push to impeach President Joe Biden and members of his administration. Greene confirmed to reporters that she called Boebert a “bitch” on the floor and then repeated the insult in a later interview.

“She has genuinely been a nasty little bitch to me,” Greene told Semafor. Boebert told reporters she was “not in middle school” when asked to respond.

This is a historic moment for the conservative group. It has never before formally voted to boot one of its members. The caucus is selective in who it allows in for membership and refuses to release a full roster of its members.

Then-Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan resigned from the group after he became the first Republican to say that President Donald Trump had committed “impeachable conduct.” Amash had been a founding member of the conservative group.

A spokesperson for the Freedom Caucus did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Neither did a spokesperson for Greene.

  • Billiam@lemmy.world
    26·
    1 year ago

    Conservatives had been upset with Greene for months due to her close ties to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Historically, the Freedom Caucus has clashed with GOP leaders, most notably former Speaker John Boehner.

    They’re not mad she called Bobert a “bitch,” they’re mad that she’s not an extremist like the rest of them and is sucking up to the levers of power.

    In other words: they’re ideologues; she’s an opportunist.

    Edit: to be clear, Marge is an extremist. But she’s willing to put her own ambition above the group. It’s the prisoner’s dilemma, if the prisoners were a bunch of Christofascist white nationalists.