Marjorie Taylor Greene Demands Republican’s Removal

Marjorie Taylor Greene has hit out at her colleague Mike Gallagher over his resignation plans and has said he should be “expelled” from Congress.

On Friday, Gallagher, a Wisconsin representative, announced he will resign from his position on April 19. The GOP representative is serving his fourth term in Congress and announced early last month that he did not have plans to run for reelection when his seat is up in the fall.

“I’ve worked closely with House Republican leadership on this timeline and look forward to seeing Speaker [Mike] Johnson appoint a new chair to carry out the important mission of the Select Committee on the Chinese Community Party,” read Gallagher’s statement, which he posted on X, formerly Twitter. “My office will continue to operate and provide constituent services to the 8th District for the remainder of the term.”

In response, Greene, a Georgia Republican representative, said Gallagher’s actions were “completely wrong” and he should leave the House before his chosen date.

Speaking to Steve Bannon on his podcast War Room, she said: “We’re in a very dangerous situation Steve, what Mike Gallagher did yesterday was intentional, purposeful and puts our entire majority at risk.”

“I think he should be expelled preeminently before he’s allowed to just walk out of Congress at a date of his choosing, where his district doesn’t get to replace him until next Congress,” she continued.

“I think that is completely wrong. I think people should be able to have a voice. His district deserves a voice in Congress and we should expel him and that way his district can replace him as quickly as possible with a special election.

“Our majority is too important to throw away and the horrible dishonest and completely irresponsible actions of many in our Republican majority have led us to where we are. When people leave early it’s a math game.”

Newsweek has contacted Gallagher by email to comment on this story.

Under Wisconsin law, Gallagher’s seat will remain empty until the general election in November. A special election would have been held to fill his vacancy if he left Congress prior to April 9.

His decision comes after Colorado Rep. Ken Buck, a Republican who has served his district since 2015, announced last week that he would resign from Congress

When Buck and Gallagher leave, there will be 217 Republicans and 213 Democrats in the House. There are currently three vacant seats in the chamber: Ohio’s 6th District, California’s 20th District and New York’s 26th District.

The resignation announcements will put further pressure on House Republicans as it means they might struggle to pass legislation in the chamber. The current number of votes needed to reach a majority is 217.

Political consultant Alex Patton previously told Newsweek that the House GOP, with its narrow majority, cannot afford to lose any more of its members, meaning conservatives can’t threaten to remove those Republicans over their votes against impeaching the Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas.

In February, Gallagher was one of four House Republicans who voted against impeaching Mayorkas, who Republicans accuse of violating his oath of office regarding the U.S.-Mexico border as an influx of migrants cross into the U.S. The impeachment charges failed to pass on a 214-216 vote.

“This Congress with such a slim majority cannot afford to lose a single member, and the talk of expelling members is likely people letting off steam after their humiliation (over the failed impeachment vote)[…]and/or people trying to curry favor with former President [Donald] Trump,” Patton said. “The talk of expulsion is nothing more than nonsense, but completely on brand for this Congress.”