Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia Republican who started her time in the House as a firebrand but has since become close to leadership, said she does not know if she’s been kicked out of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus.
House lawmakers returned to Washington Tuesday to begin a three-week stint at the Capitol before taking off again at the end of the month for a six-week summer break to work in their districts.
Before the last break, Greene got into a dispute with Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), who is also known for making outlandish statements. Greene and Boebert collided over their efforts to impeach President Joe Biden, with Greene reportedly calling Boebert a “little bitch” for allegedly copying her planned impeachment charges.
After that spat, the Freedom Caucus, a group of extremely conservative and libertarian House Republicans, voted to expel Greene, according to one member of the group.
Asked Tuesday what her relationship with the group is now, Greene said, “I don’t know. They’ve told you all more than they’ve told me.”
“To tell you the truth, I’m not concerned about it,” she told reporters after speaking to the House Rules Committee. “I’m here for Georgia’s 14th District. That’s who voted for me, that’s who sent me here and that’s who I work for. I don’t have time for the drama club.”
“I don’t have time for the drama club.”
– Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.)
One potential reason for ambiguity on the question was revealed Tuesday when Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) told CNN that a vote had been taken to expel Greene but Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry (R-Pa.) had been unable to contact the Georgia lawmaker to tell her she was out.
“The chairman has tried to contact her to let her know and there haven’t been any returned phone calls. But this week she will undoubtedly be notified,” Buck said.
Greene was elected in 2020 and quickly made a name for herself as a rock-ribbed supporter of former President Donald Trump and a variety of conservative causes. She seemed a perfect fit for the Freedom Caucus, a group of strident Republican members who have been a perpetual political thorn for House GOP leaders by pushing them to take more conservative policy stances.
But Greene recently has taken a more collaborative approach with leaders, lending her support to help get Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, elected House speaker. She is now seen as one of his close allies within the Republican conference.
The question of Greene’s membership may be resolved Tuesday night. Freedom Caucus member Boebert told HuffPost the group has a weekly meeting planned.
“I’ve seen the stories that you have and all I can say is that she’s not my enemy,” Boebert said.
Arthur Delaney contributed reporting.