Freedom Caucus Member Says Group Voted to Oust MTG

Marjorie Taylor Greene is apparently too establishment for the House Freedom Caucus. Rep. Andy Harris, a member of the caucus, told reporters Thursday that "a vote was taken to remove Marjorie Taylor Greene from the House Freedom Caucus for some of the things she's done." When asked if Greene had been formally removed from the caucus, Politico reports that Harris said, "As far as I know, that is the way it is." But, as Axios notes, there have been conflicting reports on that and Greene has reportedly not been issued any sort of formal notification, so "uncertainty over whether [Greene] is still in the House Freedom Caucus is overshadowing the return of Congress from recess." The vote took place the morning before the two-week recess started, the Hill reports, and just two days after Greene and her fellow far-right Rep. Lauren Boebert got into it on the House floor.

Greene reportedly called Boebert a "little b----" during that confrontation, and, asked about that comment, Harris said, "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." There's also the matter of Greene being too closely allied with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy for the group's taste. There have been reports that Freedom Caucus members were looking for a purge, but Harris says that after MTG's apparent removal, no more "large divisions" remain among members. This would be the first time the group has formally voted to remove a member. Greene wouldn't comment on the status of her membership, but did release a statement including this sentiment and other similar lines: "In Congress, I serve Northwest Georgia first, and serve no group in Washington." (More Marjorie Taylor Greene stories.)