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Salon
Salon
Politics
Tatyana Tandanpolie

HFC boots Greene over Boebert spat

The House Freedom Caucus has voted to oust Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a member of the conservative group confirmed to Politico Thursday.

"A vote was taken to remove Marjorie Taylor Greene from the House Freedom Caucus for some of the things she's done," Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., told the outlet, which first reported last week that the caucus had voted on Greene's fate following earlier reported plans to purge a member from its ranks

Though the Maryland representative declined to say how he voted, Harris, who noted he's on the board for the group, called the decision to boot Greene "an appropriate action," adding that the Georgia right-winger is formally out "as far as I know" upon being pressed for clarification.

Tensions were already rising within the caucus, but according to Harris, Greene's spat with Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., details of which were leaked to reporters at the time, on the House floor didn't help. 

"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 said on Thursday, appearing to reference the June incident where Greene reportedly called Boebert a "little b*tch."

When asked if Greene's support of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and break from the group's stance on his debt deal played a role in her removal, Harris told Politico that "all of that mattered."

"I think the straw that broke the camel's back was publicly saying things about another member in terms that no one should," he said.

As a result of her ousting, Greene, who normally attended the caucus' weekly off-campus strategy meetings, will no longer be able to attend because she's no longer a member, Harris explained. 

Her removal is a first for the Freedom Caucus and follows then-Rep. Justin Amash's departure from the group in 2019. Harris added that there was also "one other member a couple of years ago, who we probably would have asked to leave, but we just decided not to."

Members of the caucus have been McCarthy's greatest challengers, especially after his recent fight to compromise on the debt ceiling deal. Though the members' moves don't unify the group, Harris said that the Greene vote left them with no other "large divisions."

"This wasn't even a speed bump," Harris added.

A spokesperson for Greene did not respond to Politico's request for comment, nor did a spokesperson for the Freedom Caucus immediately respond to the outlet's request.

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