'I've got this opportunity': Former GOP rep blames anti-corruption rules for sudden exit

Former Rep. Mark Green (R-Fla.), who officially left Congress last week to pursue a business venture, said in a Tuesday interview that he was “cagey” about his decision because he did not want to be accused of using his position to promote his new company.

“Part of the reason why I was so cagey about it is if I go and tell you the name of the company while I’m still a sitting congressman, couldn’t you make the accusation that I’m using my position to advertise my new company?” Green told NOTUS.

“Wouldn’t that be inappropriate? Potentially unethical?”

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Green seemed to concede that representing his district while simultaneously setting up a side business venture placed him in a complicated ethical scenario. Despite that, he insisted he had done nothing improper, even suggesting to NOTUS that he had pitched the concept to other colleagues, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.)

“I went to Mike Johnson, and I said, ‘Hey, look, I’ve got this opportunity,’” Green said. “And he was so good about it. He was like, ‘Congratulations!’ May or may not have shared an interest himself, because this business is a tough business.”

“You got to put up with the crap when people try to malign you inappropriately, right?” Green continued. “So, yeah, I would say the final decision is probably three months ago, maybe a little further.”

A spokesperson for Johnson told NOTUS: “This comment was obviously a joke made between colleagues. But Speaker Johnson does wish his friend well in his post‑Congressional life.”

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According to the report, Green later elaborated on what he believed the Speaker meant, recounting that Johnson said Green’s business “sounds like a great opportunity, and I’m called to do this for now, but one day…”

Although Green explained that the mission of his company is to assist American businesses in expanding overseas, he was hesitant to share its name with NOTUS. “It’s on my LinkedIn page,” he said.

According to his profile on LinkedIn, the company is named “Prosimos.”