Now Republicans will have to answer the vote up and down for Greene’s controversial remarks. And she shows no signs of polluting her rhetoric. During her primary victory party, Greene ripped in “spinless Republicans,” spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi called “a bitch” and kicked reporters out of the event. Greene then celebrated her ouster on Twitter.
By Wednesday, Greene was already sitting in a Twitter war with a sitting House Republican who said there is “no place in Congress for these conspiracies.” A spokesman for Trump campaign then sprong to Greene’s defense.
Greene’s actions provide a foretaste of the type of headache – inducing behavior that Republicans will be afraid to define and perhaps the broader GOP – especially after President Donald Trump on Wednesday named Greene a “future Republican star.”
“If she’s the future of the Republican Party, we’re in trouble,” complained New York rep. Denver Riggleman (R-Va.), Who was fired in a primary June by a candidate-far right after officiating a gay marriage. “QAnon is the mental gonorrhea of conspiracy theories. It’s disgusting and you want to get rid of it as soon as possible. “
‘If there are people [in the GOP] by using these views, it is a massive drag for the Republican Party, ”Riggleman added.
Yet until the consternation of many House Republicans, McCarthy (R-Calif.) Did not do much to convert Greene’s bid. He remained neutral in the primary runoff, though he initially called Greene’s comments “terrible” and said he had no tolerance for them. POLITICO first reported on Greene’s history of racist and anti-Semitic remarks in June.
Some GOP operatives are worried that putting Greene in the party will set a dangerous precedent.
“It’s important for Republicans to stand up against people like this who are hurting the entire party market,” said former Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.), Who lost reelection in 2018. “That’s what they did to Steve King when they kicked him out of commissions.”
McCarthy removed King from his commissions in January 2019 after the Iowa Republican defended the term “white supremacist” in an interview with The New York Times. King was defeated in June in a Republican primary, much to the chagrin of many Republicans.
However, McCarthy’s office said on Wednesday that Greene will be welcomed into the GOP conference and given seats on congressional committees, if she wins in November. A McCarthy spokesman added that they were “looking forward” to Greene “and all of our Republican candidates in the country” were victorious on election day.
Greene’s candidacy and her focus embracing QAnon – an early conspiracy theory that the FBI sees as a potential threat to domestic terrorism – has put McCarthy in a serious bind.
McCarthy’s top replacement, Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), And a dozen other House Republicans reputed Greene and worked actively to encourage her Republican primary opponent, neurosurgeon John Cowan. McCarthy, meanwhile, is trying to prevent the GOP from falling further into the House minority and has sought to recruit more women and minorities and make an appeal. The GOP currently has 13 female members and only one Black member, Will Hurd of Texas, who is retiring. There are 88 Democratic women serving in the Second Chamber, as well as 50 Black Democrats.
But then there’s Trump, with whom McCarthy closely agreed to return to the 2016 campaign. Trump, who encouraged his political rise by paddling the conspiracy theory “birtherism” about former President Barack Obama, has openly flirted with QAnon followers. But his fierce conversion of Greene is his strongest cut yet to the frank movement and will be a huge problem for the House GOP leadership. Thousands of QAnon supporters, like those who have expressed sympathy for the movement, ran for Congress this year, meaning Greene can only be the vanguard of a congressional faction that could cause the party in the long run.
Meanwhile, the Conservative House Freedom Caucus – a bloc of support that will be crucial to McCarthy in all future leadership positions – is also actively supporting Greene and recruiting her to run for the deep red seat instead of being more competitive.
Many GOP lawmakers, donors and strategists were angry and shocked that McCarthy did not go into the race. He even told Cowan in a late July phone call that he was behind him and that “help is on the way,” according to a source familiar with her conversation. Now, some predict that McCarthy could suffer backlash for failure – especially if things go sideways for the GOP in November.
“Kevin McCarthy blew his chest out over stripping Steve King of his commission assignments, then sat on the sidelines and let another Steve King go with this race in GA14,” said one GOP source. “It’s political malpractice and Republicans will be responsible for it for years.”
Riggleman, however, was more forgiving: “I think McCarthy was in an impossible situation.”
Democrats are already trying to make Greene the face of the GOP. Democratic congressional campaign committee chairwoman Cheri Bustos of Illinois said Greene “is a next-generation Steve King who is now the Republican nominee for Congress because minority leader McCarthy refused to signal against her racist candidacy.”
Georgia’s Democrats are also trying to raise Greene’s issue in the two senate races taking place in Peach State this fall and two open houses in the suburbs of Atlanta.
“My heart aches for all the Republican women who have worked so hard, harder than most to get to where they are, who now have to take one second of their breath to explain how their faith does not they are, “said Julie Conway, a veteran party strategist who has been warning donors, members of Congress and her aides since last spring about Greene’s candidacy.
Yet in a sign of how tight Trump’s grip on the GOP is, a few Republicans – including those opposed to Greene’s campaign – spoke out in the wake of their primary victory. Scalise, GOP Conference Chair Liz Cheney of Wyoming and National Republican Congress Committee Chairman Tom Emmer of Minnesota had no comments Wednesday.
A spokesman for Emmer responded by calling for rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Who came under fire for repeating Jewish tropes, which many feel are anti-Semitic. Omar won her primary Tuesday night.
“Do Cheri Bustos and DCCC support Ilhan Omar, seeing the concerns that Democrats have repeatedly expressed with their racism and anti-Semitism?” NRCC spokesman Chris Pack said.
House Democrats, however, responded to Omar’s controversy last year by passing two resolutions deciding anti-Semitism, although the Minnesota Democrat was not mentioned in either measure.
McCarthy and GOP congressional leaders are hampered in how they can stop Greene by House rules and legal advances. If Greene were to win in November, as expected, there is no way the House can refuse to seat her, despite her encouraging remarks.
Republicans, however, do not have to accept them in their conference, even if they win the election as a GOP candidate. The Republican and Democratic caucuses in Congress decide who should allow in their respective ranks, and there is no requirement that leadership Greene give a commission assignment as well. There were members – like King – who served but did not raise commission cities. They may vote on the floor and may be recognized for floor speeches, but they have no further legislative duties.
