Global Courant
WASHINGTON — Nearly two weeks ago, members of the House Freedom Caucus voted to expel Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., from the ultraconservative group. It is still unclear whether that vote was successful.
Since that June 23 Freedom Caucus meeting, Chairman Scott Perry, R-Pa., and Greene have had several conversations. But a Republican source familiar with those conversations said Perry did not directly notify Greene that she was expelled from the caucus.
Another Republican source, who asked for anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said Perry has not brought up the topic because he wants to talk to Greene about it in person, which will likely happen next week.
Perry and the Freedom Caucus have not publicly commented on the issue since the meeting. In an email on Thursday, an HFC spokesperson responded to questions, saying, “HFC does not comment on membership or internal processes.”
The vote to boot the congresswoman, nicknamed MTG, came after some of her conservative colleagues became irate over her support of Kevin McCarthy’s successful R-Calif bid.
But the final straw may have been her clash last month with Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., whom she called a “little b—-” on the House floor.
A Freedom Caucus meeting was hurriedly called for 8 a.m. on the last day before the July 4 biweekly recess, two days later, and a vote was held to remove Greene from the caucus, according to two known sources. A third source familiar with the deliberations said the vote was overwhelming for Greene to be impeached.
“There was a vote to remove Marjorie Taylor Greene from the House Freedom Caucus because of some of the things she has done,” a member of the group, Representative Andy Harris, R-Md., told reporters at the Capitol on Thursday.
“The way she referred to a fellow member was probably not the way we expect our members to refer to other fellow members, especially female members,” he said.
But several Freedom Caucus members said they had not heard the meeting’s agenda in advance and did not attend. The early morning meeting took place on a Friday before recess, and it is unclear whether enough members were present for a quorum.
Several sources have described the confusing situation as “a mess,” and the group will almost certainly have to revisit Greene’s membership when lawmakers return from recess next week.
Greene is one of the biggest names of the Freedom Caucus and has been one of the biggest fundraisers for the House Freedom Fund, a super PAC aligned with the caucus.
“It doesn’t hurt that they voted her out,” another Republican House source said. “The most important signal for her that demonstrates her independence is her ability to raise money. And that’s what the HFC will miss.”
In a defiant statement to NBC News, Greene suggested she was not beholden to the Freedom Caucus, but also gave no indication of whether or not she belonged to the group.
“In Congress, I serve Northwest Georgia first and do not serve any group in Washington,” Greene said in a statement. . … I will work with ANYONE who wants to secure our border, protect our children in the womb and after they are born, end the perpetual foreign wars and do the work to save this country.
“The GOP has less than two years to show America what a strong, united Republican-led Congress will do when President Trump wins the White House in 2024,” she continued. “This is my focus, nothing else.”
