On the surface, Representatives Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) have a lot in common: both are white, cisgender, straight women with no prior political experience in their first terms in the House; both are anti-LGBTQ extremists; both have stated their support for QAnon; and both have worked to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
But their differences run so deep that those close to them say that they got into a shouting match so bad that onlookers thought it was going to come to blows.
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One of the key differences between Boebert and Greene is that Boebert is more of a team player. She hasn’t lost her committee assignments (yet) and she’s communications chair for the far-right House Freedom Caucus, of which Greene is only a member.
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This past February, Greene was caught speaking at the America First Political Action Conference (AFPAC), which was organized by white supremacist Nick Fuentes, an open supporter of the Taliban because it’s a “conservative, religious force.” Fuentes has compared Jews being burnt in concentration camps during the Holocaust to cookies baking in an oven.
While Boebert and other Freedom Caucus members aren’t that far away from Greene when it comes to political views, they are savvy enough to know not to openly associate with someone like Fuentes.
But they didn’t publicly condemn Greene, either.
Boebert allegedly decided to confront Greene about it at a House Freedom Caucus meeting in March several blocks from the Capitol, Politico reports. The confrontation got heated and one witness later said that they thought Greene and Boebert were going to get physically violent until another Freedom Caucus member “stepped in to de-escalate.” Three unnamed people connected to the Freedom Caucus confirmed the story.
The Freedom Caucus was founded in 2015 as an outgrowth of the Tea Party movement, which was a 2000’s rebranding of the Republican base. The point was to promote “open, accountable and limited government, the Constitution and the rule of law, and policies that promote the liberty, safety and prosperity of all Americans,” even though they’re more known for outrageous statements and vitriol.
“Their identity really kind of got shook up in the Trump years,” said Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL). “The party is different.”
