MTG Suggests GOP Leadership Is Sexist

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is publicly clashing with GOP leadership again—this time taking aim at what she calls a pattern of "weak" Republican men in Congress. Greene, who's lately been sparring with House Speaker Mike Johnson over the handling of the government shutdown, accuses him and other male colleagues of marginalizing the party's more forceful women, per the Washington Post. She argues that while President Trump has promoted women to top cabinet positions, GOP women in the House are sidelined. Currently only one Republican woman chairs a committee, compared to five Democratic women in top committee positions. "There's a lot of weak Republican men and they're more afraid of strong Republican women," she said.

Greene, who won her Georgia district by criticizing Republicans, is no stranger to intra-party fighting. She previously tried and failed to oust Johnson from the speaker's chair and had a stormy relationship with former Speaker Kevin McCarthy until they reconciled. Her campaign against House leadership has seen her break with Johnson on high-profile issues, including supporting Democratic efforts to extend health care subsidies and pushing for the release of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. Now, she's arguing Johnson has pushed Republican women to the side, expanding on an argument she made earlier.

House GOP Conference Chair Rep. Lisa McClain pushed back, saying Johnson has treated women fairly and promoted members based on merit. Greene, however, maintains that women like herself and Rep. Elise Stefanik are too often excluded from real influence, chalking it up to intimidation or jealousy. "Weak" Republican men are trying "to marginalize the strong Republican women that actually want to do something," she says. She also suggests GOP women—like those who've signed on to the discharge petition related to the Epstein files—are more willing to sustain pressure from the president or Johnson. Male colleagues "don't want to get yelled at," she says.