Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) appears to be changing her public approach to politics, leading to speculation that the famously far-right member of Congress may be trying to pull off a “remake” or “rebranding.” And while her new style might not be terribly convincing, it is getting attention. She recently has been picking fights with fellow far-right allies to make her case.
The latest development came Wednesday, when Greene picked a Twitter fight with her fellow Freedom Caucus member Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) after he tweeted a message congratulating her for the assignments on the House Homeland Security and Oversight Committees.
“Bravo @mtgreenee!” Gaetz wrote in a tweet. “She’s going to do amazing work for the people on these key committees she has EARNED.”
Instead of thanking her fellow MAGA Republican and moving on, Greene snapped back at Gaetz accusing him of wasting precious time by holding up Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) speakership bid earlier this month, suggesting Gaetz did not get any substantial results from his gambit — except successfully lowering the threshold of a “motion to vacate” (MTV) the speaker’s chair.
“Thanks to @SpeakerMcCarthy & Steering for voting me on the committees I requested on the submission form most of us filled out,” Greene responded in a retweet. “Too bad we’re weeks behind after you spent a week only getting MTV from 5 to 1. As the leading MAGA voice in Congress, I look forward to committees.”
Apparently trying to take the high road, Gaetz responded: “Well, we got a few other things but I’m thrilled the MTV is back to the pre-Pelosi standard. Totally worth it! We the People will be in better hands with MTG holding the corrupt Biden Admin accountable via committee service. I’m so here for it.”
Greene was not letting it go.
“The rules package did not change at all from Jan 1st to Jan 6th, except MTV went from 5 to 1. Literally anyone can read them online and see that,” she tweeted back. “All substantial negotiations happened in conference & 5 families meetings before the 15 ballots starting on Jan 3rd.”
The speakership fight appears to have caused something of a rift among the furthest-right members of the house. The seeming Gaetz-Greene spat comes after Daily Beast reporting indicating that Greene also picked a fight with another prominent Freedom Caucus member, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), in the ladies room just off the House floor during the first day of the speaker elections.
After coming out of a bathroom stall and cornering her, “Greene questioned Boebert’s loyalty to McCarthy” and “a few words were exchanged,” according to The Daily Beast, who talked to a source familiar with the fight.
“You were OK taking millions of dollars from McCarthy but you refuse to vote for him for Speaker, Lauren?” Greene asked Boebert, according to the Daily Beast.
“Don’t be ugly,” Boebert responded as she “ran out like a little schoolgirl,” according to the Daily Beast’s source.
The whole thing feels a lot like a performance, though to what end remains unclear. Greene’s public fight-picking may well continue as she leans into her new public image as the number one ally to Speaker McCarthy and other moderate Republican lawmakers. We’ll see how long the performance goes on for.
