WASHINGTON — Members of the House Freedom Caucus, a group made up of the most conservative lawmakers in the House, voted in June to expel incendiary Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., from their inner circle.
But the lawmaker also kicked out one of the House’s top fundraisers.
Since entering the House in 2021 as an unapologetic political bomb-thrower for her endorsement of conspiracy theories, Greene has become one of the House’s top fundraisers, bringing in huge amounts of money to support Republican candidates and, notably, other hardline conservatives.
With Greene gone, it’s unclear how much animosity persists between her and the Freedom Caucus and how much the group will capitalize on her fundraising prowess.
Why was Marjorie Taylor Greene expelled from the Freedom Caucus?
Greene was kicked out of the House Freedom Caucus in June for multiple grievances, Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., told NBC’s “Meet the Press NOW.” Greene has “consistently attacked other members of the Freedom Caucus in irresponsible ways,” he said.
“As a result, she was kicked out of the Freedom Caucus, and she shouldn’t be a member,” Buck said last week.
Tensions between Greene and the Freedom Caucus appeared to reach a boiling point after Greene called another member of the group, Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., an expletive for allegedly copying his long-term resolve to impeach President Joe Biden.
Publicly, the caucus has avoided discussing the issue. When reached to comment on Greene’s departure, a caucus spokesperson said “HFC does not comment on membership or internal process.”
The Freedom Caucus may miss Greene’s fundraising strength
Since joining the House, Greene has become one of the House’s top fundraisers. In her first three months in Congress, Greene raised $3.2 million for her re-election campaign with more than 100,000 individual donations, a shocking number for a freshman lawmaker. Today, Greene remains one of the lower house’s top fundraisers. This year, she raised more than $1.1 million in the second fundraising quarter.
After Greene was kicked out of the group, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-California, defended her and praised her conservative credentials.
“I think it’s a loss for the Freedom Caucus,” McCarthy told reporters.
Greene slowly aligned herself with the Republican establishment, as one of McCarthy’s staunchest supporters in her run for the presidency, which lasted 15 votes. This year, Greene donated $275,000 to House Republicans campaign arm and an additional $100,000 in fundraising.
Greene has largely avoided discussing her relationship with the Freedom Caucus, telling reporters she thinks she “likes being a free agent much better.”
And at least publicly, members of the Freedom Caucus who spoke about Greene’s exit expressed little concern about his departure.
“It wasn’t even a speed bump,” Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., told Politico after the vote.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why the House Freedom Caucus Might Miss Marjorie Taylor Greene