MTG-McCarthy alliance weakens as congresswoman fights to 'win back hard-right credibility'
During Rep. Kevin McCarthy's (R-California) months as House speaker, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) has generally been an ally. And McCarthy's critics have argued that he is doing the GOP a disserve by mainstreaming a dangerous far-right conspiracy theorist.
But journalist Kadia Goba, in an article published by Semafor on September 26, details signs that Greene is becoming less supportive of McCarthy.
"After getting off to a rocky start with the Republican leader," Goba explains, "Greene shocked much of Washington by cozying up with McCarthy to become one of his most outspoken allies during his battle for the speakership — even posing with him for a victory selfie on the House floor.… But Greene's closeness with leadership has cost her with conservative colleagues, factoring into the House Freedom Caucus' decision to eject her from its membership…. Taking a stand now might be a way to win back a bit of hard-right credibility."
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Goba notes that on Sunday, September 24, Greene announced that she "was a hard-no on the rules package McCarthy is currently trying to advance, which would bring a suite of government spending bills to the floor, because it would mean 'more money for Ukraine.'"
"Cutting funding for the war-torn country has been a high priority for Greene, who told reporters last week that she was 'just a no on any funding bill' containing support for Kyiv," Goba observes. "McCarthy initially suggested he'd meet her demand, but reversed himself this weekend because removing the money would be 'too difficult.' Greene also told reporters last week she was planning to introduce an amendment that would strip the Justice Department of its ability to fund special counsel investigations, threatening to throw another kink into the budget effort."
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Read Kadia Goba's full Semafor report at this link.
