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The GOP chief will sit down for a face-to-face conversation with Greene later this week, his office said. But whether McCarthy actually pulls her out of her committee assignments, as many Democrats and even a few Republicans are calling for, depends on how her private interaction with Greene goes.
Meanwhile, a group of House Democrats are determined to punish Greene for his rhetoric and conspiracy theories, and have drafted a series of measures to do so. This includes two of the most severe penalties that can be taken against a congressman: formal censorship and expulsion from the House.
Another measure – which Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) Is considering introducing later Monday – would kick Greene out of all House committees.
For now, Democrats say they are waiting for McCarthy’s meeting with the Georgia rookie, although few expect him to act on his own.
“If we wait until Kevin McCarthy has a moral compass … that’s never going to happen,” Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.), Who represents the site of the Sandy Hook School shooting, told the journalists. demanded that the House act to strip Greene of all committee positions.
Wasserman Schultz said she plans to force a floor vote on her resolution within days, using a fast-track process reserved for privileged resolutions. Another resolution from Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) To expel Greene from Congress is also privileged and may be raised this week.
So far, Greene has remained publicly defiant, though she has cleaned up some of her past social media posts. And over the weekend, she claimed she spoke with Trump and had his full support, which could make it harder for McCarthy to punish Greene.
“I think the Republican leaders should stand up and say what she said is totally unacceptable,” Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” on Sunday “.
When asked if Greene should be stripped of her seats on the House Education and Labor Committee and the House Budget Committee, Portman said that could send a strong message.
“I guess that’s something they’re looking at, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that happened,” he said. “And you know, I think that’s the way to send a message. The voters who elected her to her constituency in Georgia, you know, must be respected. On the other hand, when this kind of behavior occurs, there has to be a strong response. “
What the GOP decides to do about Cheney and Greene will offer important clues about the party’s leadership in the post-Trump era. Some Republicans warn that punishing Cheney while leaving Greene intact – and thereby aligning the party even more closely with Trump – could be a major black eye for the party as 2022 approaches.
And next week, Trump’s impeachment trial will begin in the Senate. But despite a large number of Republicans, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Condemning Trump for inciting a mob that attacked the Capitol, a conviction is highly unlikely; 45 Republicans have said bringing a former president to justice is unconstitutional.
“But the reality is this: Now is the time to choose. It’s time to choose what we’re going to be, ”said Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), Who voted for impeachment and is launching a new PAC aimed at restoring conservative principles in the GOP, said on NBC “Meet the Press” Sunday. ” And my goal in starting Country1st.com, number one, is just to say, look, let’s take a look at the past four years, how badly we’ve gone, how much we look back is, how much we peddle darkness and division.
“And this is not the party that I have never joined, and I think most Republicans did not join,” he added.
The looming and messy intra-partisan battle comes as McCarthy pleaded with Republicans to stop publicly attacking each other. The Minority Leader, who is desperate to keep his ranks united as they focus on next year’s midterm, has tried to make amends with Trump and even met him at his resort town of Florida last week. After the meeting, McCarthy made it clear that the former speaker would be an integral part of their efforts to reclaim the House.
“United and ready to win in 22,” McCarthy tweeted after meeting Trump.
Yet some Republicans, including Florida hitman rep Matt Gaetz, have blatantly ignored McCarthy’s calls for party unity. Last week, Gaetz even campaigned against Cheney by flying to Wyoming, where Donald Trump Jr. called for the rally through loudspeaker. Notably, the son of the former president also praised McCarthy as the leader of the GOP.
“I have seen with my own eyes since 2016 that @GOPLeader was the strongest House GOP leader of my life, ”he tweeted, alongside a photo of Trump and McCarthy from their recent reunion. “He always fought for my father and our movement. I am proud to call Kevin a friend and delighted to be working closely with him to take over the Chamber in 2022! “
Democrats, meanwhile, are already signaling that their campaign strategy in 2022 will focus heavily on trying to draw the entire Republican Party to Greene and the fringe QAnon movement. Over the weekend, President Nancy Pelosi’s office issued a press release listing McCarthy’s party affiliation as “QAnon” instead of the GOP.
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