PRESS RELEASE Contact: press@congressionalintegrity.org
For Immediate Release
Date: January 9, 2022
Posters put up by the Congressional Integrity Project to remind Kevin McCarthy who holds the real power in Congress: Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Washington, DC – Today, Marjorie Taylor Greene posted a video on Twitter with one unmistakable message to Kevin McCarthy: I’m in charge. The video walks through how Greene helped secure the votes for McCarthy to become Speaker, including the famous shot of her on the phone with Donald Trump on the House floor as the disgraced former President worked with her to get the votes McCarthy needed to win the speakership. And what did Greene and Trump get in return? A special committee to interfere with ongoing criminal investigations of Trump and his insurrectionist allies and a commitment to instead investigate the treatment by the Department of Justice of the violent rioters who have been held or charged in connection with the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.
The video is yet another signal that Greene and extreme MAGA Republicans are the ones in charge after Kevin McCarthy caved to their numerous demands in order to become Speaker.
“We weren’t kidding when we said Marjorie Taylor Greene would be the real Speaker,” said Congressional Integrity Project senior advisor Brad Woodhouse. “She just told Kevin McCarthy as much in this music video posted to her Twitter account. Her message is clear: ‘Donald Trump and I got you over the top. We’re in charge.’ Now, Kevin McCarthy must do as they say on investigations or face the considerable wrath of the extremists who put him in charge.”
The Greene/MAGA Investigative Agenda:
- Impeach Secretary Mayorkas: Kevin McCarthy spent the weeks before the midterm elections downplaying the possibility that Republicans would use a House majority to impeach President Biden or members of his administration. Within days of securing his narrow majority, McCarthy started singing a different tune in a bid to attract support from the far right of his caucus, visiting the southwest border and calling on DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to resign or face potential impeachment proceedings in a Republican House.
- Gut House Ethics Enforcement: Buried in McCarthy’s proposed rules was a provision that will effectively gut the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), providing protection from oversight for members like George Santos and the lawmakers who participated in the January 6 attack on the Capitol .McCarthy’s proposal would require OCE to hire its staff for the 118th Congress within 30 days of the resolution’s adoption, a requirement that would make it exceedingly difficult for the office to have the resources it needs to conduct its investigations. The proposal would also block OCE from hiring new employees over the next two years if someone leaves their position.
- Let Marjorie Taylor Greene Dictate The Oversight Agenda: McCarthy embraced far right conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene during his campaign for the speaker’s office, promising to restore her to her committee positions, including the possibility of a seat on the coveted House Oversight Committee. Greene has reportedly also been promised that Republicans will investigate Nancy Pelosi and the Justice Department for their treatment of defendants jailed in connection with January 6.
- Establish A Committee To “Investigate” The FBI, Including Ongoing Criminal Investigations: McCarthy gave in to a key demand of the far right and agreed to establish a select subcommittee to investigate “weaponization” of the federal government with the same staffing and resources given to the January 6 committee. This subcommittee will be given sweeping investigatory powers that include explicit authority to review “ongoing criminal investigations,” like the investigations into former president Trump. McCarthy’s proposed rules also give this panel power to access any information shared with the House Intelligence Committee, including the highest-level classified intelligence briefings.