Firebrand conservative Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has been on the attack against fellow Republicans who are threatening to derail House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy's bid for House Speaker
Firebrand Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene called out fellow MAGA lawmaker Rep. Matt Gaetz on Wednesday over his opposition to Leader Kevin McCarthy's bid for the Speakership next year.
It marks a dramatic escalation in her pressure campaign to get fellow lawmakers on the right of the GOP conference to fall in line behind McCarthy.
Greene and Gaetz have long been known to have a close personal and professional relationship.
Their alliance and significant policy overlap makes her calling him out by name all the more remarkable.
In an op-ed for the Daily Caller on Wednesday, Greene called out Gaetz for negatively comparing McCarthy to former Speaker Paul Ryan - despite supporting Ryan in 2015.
She warned him not to 'blow things up' by upending McCarthy's bid for Speaker.
It comes two days after Greene attacked fellow MAGA Rep. Lauren Boebert on Twitter and accused the Colorado congresswoman of 'high school drama' for mocking Greene in a recent interview.
Greene has broken from her conservative colleagues in recent weeks to support McCarthy, spurring speculation over whether he offered her a top committee spot for her loyalty.
It comes as five Republicans continue to hold McCarthy's campaign for the top House spot hostage. With just a 222-seat majority next year, he can afford to lose less than five members to still win the gavel.
'Let’s start with my dear friend, Matt Gaetz. Many of his attacks against Kevin McCarthy are comparisons to Paul Ryan,' Greene wrote in her op-ed.
'It’s quite ironic given Matt’s very first vote in Congress was for Paul Ryan as Speaker. Even when we all knew Paul Ryan would never deliver the MAGA agenda.'
With just a 222-seat majority next year, McCarthy can only lose four votes to still win the Speaker's gavel
She added that Gaetz is one of her 'favorite members of Congress.'
'America needs his talent and intelligence to work alongside Jim Jordan on investigations for the Judiciary Committee, not blow things up before we begin,' Greene said.
Another in the group of five, Virginia Rep. Bob Good, 'just hates Kevin McCarthy,' Greene wrote.
'The other members of the “Never Kevin Five,” Andy Biggs, Ralph Norman, and Matt Rosendale are all strong conservatives and men I respect. But they are simply “Never Kevin” without a plan for the American people,' Greene wrote.
Gaetz, recently told conservative activist Charlie Kirk in regards to McCarthy's fitness for speaker, that he is an 'admirer' of Greene's but 'it's not something we see the same on.'
Boebert, a fellow Freedom Caucus member who was interviewed alongside Gaetz, mocked Greene for previously amplifying conspiracy theories on 'Jewish space lasers' and called for an 'inside conversation' before deciding on the new majority's leader.
She said Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz was one of her 'favorite' colleagues
Greene launched a withering attack in response on Monday evening.
'I’ve supported and donated to Lauren Boebert. President Trump has supported and donated to Lauren Boebert. Kevin McCarthy has supported and donated to Lauren Boebert,' Greene wrote on Twitter.
Citing Boebert's unprecedentedly close re-election race in November, Greene added, 'She just barely came through by 500 votes.'
'Lauren refuses to endorse President Trump, she refuses to support Kevin McCarthy, and she childishly threw me under the bus for a cheap sound bite.'
She fired off a last tweet accusing Boebert of fomenting 'high school drama.'
Politico reported in April that Boebert and Greene had clashed over the latter's attendance at a rally held by a known white nationalist.
The confrontation apparently had to be de-escalated by a fellow GOP lawmaker.
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