Exclusive Interview: Marjorie Taylor Greene Says She Hasn’t Changed, The Party Has

Marjorie Taylor Greene and the most powerful man in the chamber exchanged whispers on the House Floor earlier this month. The headlines became apoplectic.

The Georgia congresswoman’s close alliance with Kevin McCarthy was on full display during his chaotic fight to become House speaker, a fight he ultimately won, in part thanks to Greene vouching for his conservative credentials. Pundits began immediately to cite a href=”https://www.thebulwark.com/the-normalization-of-marjorie-taylor-greene/?itm_source=parsely-api”>gesticulating More information about “normalization” The so-called “QAnon congresswoman,” She is well-known by her initials by critics and fans alike. “MTG,” Her unapologetically America First branding.

Greene’s new outlook on proximity to power is “proximity to power”, which was a departure from his previous one. Get started Soon after she was elected, her committees were taken over by Democrats. During her first term, she was considered a pariah by the leadership. Since then, she has been a successful entrepreneur. Distant She has been criticized for her controversial remarks, but it hasn’t stopped her critics who insist that she is dangerous.

Greene seems poised to exert a strong influence on the GOP agenda in House. This has fueled speculation that Greene is changing her image into a cleaner, more palatable version.

Greene laughed at the suggestion that she has changed during a last week interview at her Washington, D.C., headquarters.

“Nothing changed about me and didn’t need to change,” Greene wore jeans while sitting opposite a wall that was almost to the ceiling with framed photos of her family, she said. “I haven’t changed my views. I haven’t changed my political positions.”

It’s the party that has changed, she said.

“What has changed is the Republican Party has been pushed to the right. The Republican Party has been pushed to be more America First,” Greene said.

Greene stated that she tried to “constantly echo” These are the main concerns “Mr. and Mrs. American, regular Americans,” Who have been “totally neglected” Washington. She said that she has done this both in private and public, including floor speeches, conference meetings, and private meetings with McCarthy and other leaders.

“So if there’s anything that has changed, I think the Republican Party cares more about Americans, and they need to continue to do that,” She said.

And her critics? “people were lying about me. They lied about a lot,” She said. “The media has lied about me extensively and called me horrific names that don’t reflect who I am.”

She said that her staunch support of McCarthy during the House speaker fight was both pragmatically and principled.

“I don’t pick a fake fight, and that was a fake fight,” Greene said. 

Greene won McCarthy votes as he tried to quell an internal rebellion led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R.FL) from her Freedom Caucus colleagues.

McCarthy was finally elected speaker. He received 15 votes in four days. The insurgents eventually gave up, but he did not give up without making several concessions. One was a change in rules. “motion to vacate the chair,” One member can force McCarthy to be removed as speaker at any time. Other concessions included an end to COVID mandates and funding, a committee to investigate the FBI’s alleged weaponization against its political enemies, more single-subject bills, and a promise not to increase the debt ceiling in the next federal budget.

Greene claims that the much-hyped concessions did not change, while Gaetz and his company exaggerated their importance.

“Don’t lie to make yourself look like you’re conservative or make yourself look anti-establishment when you’re not changing anything,” She said.

Republicans simply do not have enough conservatives to elect someone like McCarthy’s challenger Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ), the chairman of the Freedom Caucus, Greene said.

“I dream of a conservative speaker too. It’s just impossible to get one,” She added that McCarthy is a good choice. “willing to listen” and willing to fight” on conservative agenda items.

Greene indicated that Democrats were at risk of joining moderate Republicans in choosing their own speaker during the speaker debate. She said that she heard Rep. Marcy Kaptur, a Democratic Representative from Ohio, and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick sitting behind her, discussing their lists and how to get 218 votes. That is the threshold needed to elect a speaker.

“It was literally happening. It was happening,” Greene said.

McCarthy’s support does not necessarily mean that she will. “line up with leadership all the time” Or “fight the Freedom Caucus” She has promised to keep her promise from now on.

“No, that’s not the case,” Greene said. “My voting record will still be the same. I still support the same views and values, and I’m gonna continue to fight on those things. I’m just not willing to do it for no reason, just to look tough or look a certain way in the public eye.”

She stated that while the House is still dominated by Republicans, it’s good to be able to feel the relief.

“I’ve been comparing it to the land of Narnia, when the ice queen, all the ice melted, and everything turned green again, and she was no longer in power,” Greene quipped.

She cautioned however that she was not more optimistic