WASHINGTON (AP) – Republican leaders in Congress are torn over what to do with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene after the congresswoman spoke at a weekend event organized by a white nationalist who marveled over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as the crowd erupted in chants of “Putin!”
House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy called the congresswoman’s speech on the same stage “unacceptable.” Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said “there’s no place in the Republican Party for white supremacists.”
Yet it’s unclear whether Greene will face any further reprimand or rebuke for what is now an ongoing pattern of startling behavior. McCarthy had previously suggested the Georgia congresswoman, who is now barred by Democrats from committees, would enjoy a promotion i f Republicans take control of the House.
It all shows the difficulty Republican leaders have combating the party’s drift toward Trump-style authoritarianism and embracing right-wing extremism.
“This may be a chance to burn out the cancer of the Republican Party – those that are, you know, Putin sympathetic,” said Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., a former military fighter pilot who broke with his party over the Trump presidency.