Marjorie Taylor Greene Suffers Insult to Injury

Marjorie Taylor Greene has faced two run-ins with her GOP colleague, Rich McCormick, following motions to censure Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib.

According to sources speaking to CNN, Greene last week had a private meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson where she accused fellow Georgia Republican Rep. McCormick of getting physically aggressive with her, by grabbing her shoulders and shaking her after they clashed about their competing resolutions to censure Tlaib. He has denied claims of aggression, describing the interaction as "a friendly gesture."

Greene told CNN last week about a "very serious situation" that took place between her and a "male Republican of the conference," but did not name McCormick. The incident happened in November on the House floor, according to Politico.

Newsweek has contacted representatives for Greene and McCormick by email to comment on this story.

In October, Greene introduced a motion in the House of Representatives to censure Tlaib over her response to the Israel-Hamas war. Tlaib sparked controversy for calling for a ceasefire, following Hamas' surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7. Israel declared war on Hamas, carrying out extensive airstrikes and a ground offensive while also cutting off supplies of water, food and electricity.

Greene accused Tlaib, the only American Palestinian in Congress, of "antisemitic activity, sympathizing with terrorist organizations and leading an insurrection at the United States Capitol Complex," referring to an October 18 rally at the Capitol Tlaib spoke at, calling for a ceasefire.

But with 13 Democrats abstaining and 23 Republicans voting to kill the motion, including McCormick, it was not passed, with the final tally 222 to 186.

Then in November, McCormick introduced a new resolution to censure Tlaib over her use of the contentious phrase "from the river to the sea," which the Anti-Defamation League has described as "an antisemitic slogan" because it allegedly implies advocating for the dismantling of the Jewish state, as it references the Jordan River on Israel's eastern border and the Mediterranean Sea to the west.

McCormick's resolution accused Tlaib of "promoting false narratives regarding the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and for calling for the destruction of the state of Israel." It passed by 234 votes to 188.

In a news release published on McCormick's website on November 8, McCormick appeared to tease Greene about her failed motion.

The release, titled "McCormick, not Greene, takes lead as House censures Tlaib," said: "The U.S. House voted Tuesday to approve Rep. Rich McCormick's resolution reprimanding Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who is accused of making antisemitic remarks while participating in pro-Palestinian protests. Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene withdrew her similar resolution shortly before a final vote on McCormick's bill. Her version failed to gain traction."

In a statement provided to CNN following reports of his clash with Greene, McCormick said the interaction was intended to be friendly, but said he apologized to her in the moment.

"I understand why there would be a lot of raw emotions following the censure vote given that her censure was tabled and mine passed. My intention was to encourage Rep. Greene by making a friendly gesture," he said. "I said to her, 'at least we can have an honest discussion,' to which she said she did not appreciate that. For that I immediately apologized and have not spoken to her since."