Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, former Trump loyalist, says she is resigning from Congress
By MICHELLE L PRICE LISA MASCARO and JEFF AMY WASHINGTON AP Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia a once-loyal supporter of President Donald Trump who has become a critic revealed Friday she is resigning from Congress in January Greene in a more than -minute video posted online explained her decision and mentioned she s constantly been despised in Washington D C and just never fit in Greene s resignation followed a residents fallout with Trump in modern months as the congresswoman criticized him for his stance on files related to Jeffrey Epstein along with foreign procedures and fitness care Trump branded her a traitor and wacky and noted he would endorse a challenger against her when she ran for reelection next year She reported her last day would be Jan The White House did not without delay respond to a message seeking comment Friday night Greene was one of the bulk vocal and visible supporters of Trump s Make America Great Again politics and she embraced a few of his unapologetic political style Her break with him was a notable fissure in his grip over conservatives particularly his preponderance ardent base But her decision to step down in the face of his opposition put her on the same track as numerous of the more moderate establishment Republicans before her who went crosswise with Trump Greene had been closely tied to the Republican president since she launched her political career five years ago In her video Friday she underscored her longtime loyalty to Trump except on a inadequate issues and commented it was unfair and wrong that he attacked her for disagreeing Loyalty should be a two-way street and we should be able to vote our conscience and represent our district s interest because our job title is literally representative she disclosed Greene swept to office at the forefront of Trump s MAGA movement and swiftly became a lightning rod on Capitol Hill for her often beyond-mainstream views As she embraced the QAnon conspiracy theory and appeared with white supremacists Greene was opposed by party leaders but welcomed by Trump He called her a real WINNER Yet over time she proved a deft legislator having aligned herself with then-GOP leader Kevin McCarthy who would go on to become House speaker She was a trusted voice on the right flank until McCarthy was ousted in While there has been an onslaught of lawmakers from both parties heading for the exits ahead of next fall s midterm elections as the House struggles through an often chaotic session Greene s stated retirement will ripple throughout the ranks and raise questions about her next moves Greene was first elected to the House in She initially planned to run in a competitive district in northern Atlanta s suburbs but relocated to the much more conservative th District in Georgia s northwest corner She manifested a penchant for harsh rhetoric and conspiracy theories even before her poll suggesting a mass shooting in Las Vegas was a coordinated attack to spur sponsorship for new gun restrictions In she endorsed the idea that the U S governing body perpetrated the attacks on Sept and mused that a so-called plane had hit the Pentagon Greene argued in that Reps Ilhan Omar D-Minn and Rashida Tlaib D-Mich both Muslim women weren t official members of Congress because they used Qurans rather than Bibles in their swearing-in ceremonies Greene was once a sympathizer with QAnon an online structure that believes a global cabal of Satan-worshipping cannibals including U S regime leaders operates a child sex trafficking ring She eventually distanced herself saying she got sucked into a few of the things I had seen on the internet Amy released from Atlanta
