Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has accused Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) of getting “physically aggressive” with her.
She made her accusations to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) in a private meeting in his Capitol office last week, according to reports.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., meets with reporters ahead of a crucial vote on a continuing resolution to keep the government funded at its current levels, a measure not heartily supported by the hard right wing of his party, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Greene claimed to Johnson that McCormick, her fellow Georgia representative, grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her, according to CNN. The altercation followed a disagreement between the two over competing resolutions to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) over her latest antisemitic comments and allegedly arranging an illegal pro-Hamas protest in October that saw hundreds arrested in a House office building.
Greene had taken the lead on efforts to punish Tlaib since the day of the mass illegal protest. Her resolution received a vote in the House, but was tabled 222-186 after a contentious debate on language in the resolution which even some members of Congress who supported Tlaib’s censure said went too far.
The resolution called the illegal protests an “insurrection,” leading many pro-censure representatives to oppose Greene’s resolution.
McCormick, who voted against Greene’s resolution, introduced a competing resolution with watered down language, which passed on November 7 by a 234-188 vote, with four members voting present.
McCormick denied Greene’s characterizations of his actions.
“I understand why there would be a lot of raw emotions following the censure vote given that her censure was tabled and mine passed,” he said. “My intention was to encourage Rep. Greene by making a friendly gesture.
“I said to her, ‘at least we can have an honest discussion,’ to which she said she did not appreciate that. For that I immediately apologized and have not spoken to her since.”
Most bills introduced in the House are, despite how they are characterized by those introducing them, merely messaging bills, and it is not uncommon for members to introduce their own versions of similar bills. However, it is generally seen as a violation of courtesy to introduce and push for a vote on a bill dealing with an issue on which another representative has long carried the rucksack.
In this case, after her resolution’s defeat, Greene was continuing to work with her colleagues on compromise language that could satisfy dissenters.
Greene has not publicly commented on the physical altercation with McCormick. The week before Tuesday’s report, she told CNN she had experienced a “serious” situation with a male colleague but declined to name him or elaborate further.
Johnson reportedly has worked to address the issue. His job is growing increasingly more difficult, as Rep. George Santos’s (R-NY) expulsion and Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) announced resignation further reduce his slim majority.
Bradley Jaye is a Capitol Hill Correspondent for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter at @BradleyAJaye.
