Opinion: Freedom Caucus draws the line at MTG's potty mouth

MTG ejected from Freedom Caucus over shouting match with Boebert

Marjorie Taylor Greene

We now know where Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s own Republican colleagues draw the line when it comes to her behavior.

As first reported by the folks at POLITCO Thursday, the far-right Freedom Caucus has voted to remove the Rome Republican from their ranks, with one member indicating that her recent shouting match with fellow member Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

The secret ballot vote apparently took place two days after Greene and Boebert clashed on the House floor over impeachment resolutions against President Joe Biden, during which Greene was overheard calling Boebert a “little bitch.” The Daily Beast was the first to report the encounter, and Greene’s office confirmed it a few hours later.

Greene has also aligned herself closely with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. She was an early supporter of his tumultuous bid for the Speaker’s gavel and was seen on the House floor with “DT” (former President Donald Trump) on her cell phone encouraging McCarthy holdouts to support the California Republican.

Additionally, she was an unlikely supporter of the deal between Speaker McCarthy and President Biden to raise the debt ceiling through 2025, though she referred to it as a “shit sandwich.”

She is far from the only Freedom Caucus member to support McCarthy, but she has been the most vocal in criticizing her colleagues. “I’m also not going to allow the United States of America to default, that’s just the wrong thing to do,” she said told the AJC during the debt limit debate. “So, I think that we do have to have a negotiation, and I think there needs to be a level of maturity from everyone on this issue.”

Her warm relationship with the establishment is said to have played into the vote to oust her from the Freedom Caucus, but the vulgar encounter with Boebert was the final straw.

“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,” one member told POLITICO Thursday.

It is unclear if Greene has actually been removed from the Freedom Caucus, because they have never voted to eject one of their own members before. But she appears unphased by the vote, saying in a statement that she serves Northwest Georgia first, adding that she serves no group in Washington.

While it is heartening to finally know that Greene’s GOP colleagues are willing to draw the line when it comes to her behavior, it’s saddening to learn that they are punishing her for her potty mouth rather than her controversial social media posts and conspiracy theories.

As we know by now, Greene has been a lightning rod ever since she entered national politics — for all the wrong reasons. She has come under fire for her ties to QAnon, a debunked right-wing conspiracy that believes, among other things, that there is a cabal of child molesters operating a global sex trafficking ring.

She was caught on video harassing the survivors of the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. She has also suggested on social media that the shooting was staged.

Greene has also indicated support for executing top FBI officials as well as several prominent Democrats, including former President Barack Obama, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

“She took an oath to protect American citizens and uphold our laws,” she said of Pelosi. “And she gives aid and comfort to our enemies who illegally invade our land. That’s what treason is. And by our law representatives and senators can be kicked out and no longer serve in our government. And it’s, uh, it’s a crime punishable by death is what treason is. Nancy Pelosi is guilty of treason.”

I could go on and on about her disturbing past, but the truth is absolutely none of these incidents played a role in her Freedom Caucus ouster. The line isn’t drawn at her violent beliefs and conspiracy theories, but her use of foul language when arguing with her colleagues.

Let me be clear: I’m not defending the use of her language. The House floor is a place of decorum and respect, and members should absolutely address one another in an appropriate manner while on the floor.

But I find it upsetting that Greene’s Republican colleagues had no problem welcoming her disturbing beliefs and violent tendencies but draw the line at of all things her use of foul language.

Think of it like this: the Freedom Caucus had no problem welcoming a member who believes that her opponents are part of a global pedophile ring, that school shootings are staged and that Nancy Pelosi should be executed.

But they draw the line at calling a colleague an expletive.

Let that sink in.