Controversial Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R. GA) recently called out fellow controversial Rep. Matt Gaetz (R. FL) in her quest to shore up support for Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R.CA) as House speaker when the GOP takes back a House majority on January 3.
Greene attacked Gaetz for pledging to oppose McCarthy’s leadership bid in an op-ed for the conservative Daily Caller website. She also has recently gone after third controversial Rep. Lauren Boebert (R. CO) for the same thing.
Greene wrote:
“Lying to the base is a red line for me, and that’s what five of my closest colleagues are doing when they claim a consensus House Speaker candidate will emerge as they oppose Kevin McCarthy. Here’s the reality: No one is running against Kevin McCarthy for Speaker.”
Greene pointed out that Rep. Jim Jordan (R. OH) supports McCarthy and plans to lead the House Judiciary Committee, and House whip Steve Scalise (R. LA) also backs McCarthy. Greene also accused Republican holdouts like Gaetz of sabotaging their upcoming majority agenda before the next Congress has even been seated.
She continued:
“This ‘Never Kevin’ trick has been done before. Some in the Freedom Caucus ousted John Boehner using the same ‘Vacate the Chair’ rule that’s being demanded now. That’s how we got Paul Ryan as Speaker. The ‘Never Kevin Five’ are already vacating the chair by refusing to vote for our conference nominee while simultaneously demanding the ‘Vacate the Chair’ rule to remove the Speaker at a later date.”
Greene also warned her fellow ultra-right Republicans, five of whom plan to block McCarthy from the Speaker position, that they may get more than they bargain for:
“Let’s start with my dear friend, Matt Gaetz. Many of his attacks against Kevin McCarthy are comparisons to Paul Ryan. It’s quite ironic given Matt’s very first vote in Congress was for Paul Ryan as Speaker. Even when we all knew Paul Ryan would never deliver the MAGA agenda. We had full GOP control and President Trump, with pen in hand, ready to sign America First legislation. This Republican failure is why I ran for Congress.”
Greene concluded:
“All that said, Matt Gaetz is one of my favorite members of Congress. America needs his talent and intelligence to work alongside Jim Jordan on investigations for the Judiciary Committee, not blow things up before we begin.”
