Inside the House's right-wing schism
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Trump and Greene arrive at a Waffle House after speaking at the Georgia Republican Party's state convention on June 10. Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), once the darling of Congress’ hard-right, now faces an uncertain future within a group of her own ideological allies.
Why it matters: New tensions are the byproduct of a long-growing divide among some of the right-wing Freedom Caucus’ most vocal members over strategy, style and support for former President Trump.
Driving the news: The group discussed whether to kick Greene out during a meeting Friday morning, though no final decision has been made, Axios’ Juliegrace Brufke reported.
- An internal vote on Friday reflected "there is the support to kick her out," a source familiar with the matter told Axios, but the group — which has never ejected a member — is in uncharted territory.
The backdrop: Greene quickly emerged as one of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) biggest right-wing headaches when she was first elected in 2020.
- But — like Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a founding Freedom Caucus member who serves as the chair of the House Judiciary Committee — Greene was eventually brought into the fold.
- While 20 Freedom Caucus members kept McCarthy from the speakership for a grueling 15 ballots in January, demanding concessions that have continued to cause headaches, Greene stuck by his side and even criticized the rebels.
What we're hearing: The source said there has been a push to oust members who are “Freedom Caucus members in name only,” but Greene is a “unique case” due to her outspoken criticism of the group at times.
Between the lines: Greene and McCarthy share a close alignment with Trump, who — facing both state and federal indictments — has demanded more loyalty of his congressional allies in recent months than perhaps any time since leaving office.
- Like Jordan, Greene has been given plum postings on high-profile committees investigating the Biden administration.
The other side: Several ascendant Freedom Caucus members have taken a different path with both McCarthy and Trump.
- The genesis of the split with Trump can be traced as far back as January 2021, when Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Ken Buck (R-Colo.) signed onto a statement opposing Trump-backed efforts to decertify Biden electors.
- Roy and Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) have since endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president over Trump. Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) has endorsed former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
- All four have been among McCarthy’s most vocal antagonists — Roy, Good and Norman during the speaker fight, and Buck more recently in a protest of McCarthy’s debt ceiling deal with Democrats.
Yes, but: Greene’s case is at least as personal as it is political.
- Her criticism of her colleagues’ repeated breaks with McCarthy hasn’t exactly endeared her to them.
- She became embroiled in an expletive-laden feud with Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) last week while accusing the Coloradan of copying her articles of impeachment against President Biden.
The big picture: This is all playing out against the backdrop of a broader internal war over the direction of the GOP.
- Trump, who has consistently maintained a commanding lead in early primary polls, has attacked DeSantis, a Freedom Caucus member when he was in the House, as too anti-abortion and fiscally conservative.
