Newsweek: Marjorie Taylor Greene Hits Out at 'Little Adam' Kinzinger, GOP Establishment
Representatives Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) took to the stage in a rally where they portrayed themselves as outsiders ready to take on the GOP establishment amid a fight for the future direction of the party.
Kicking off their "America First Rally" roadshow, the pair's own party was as much a target of their jibes as were the media and the Democrats, during the event in the retirement community of The Villages, northwest of Orlando, Florida.
"We have got a battle going right now on for the soul of the Republican Party," Gaetz said on Friday, as the pair sat next to each other on the stage after they had each given individual speeches.
They have been vocal in their support of former President Donald Trump, whose false claims of election fraud they promoted. Gaetz said that following the election, the GOP establishment sought "to go back to normal" and "put the lobbyists in charge."
During the hour-long rally, Gaetz said that he was absent from the House GOP retreat last month, "because I feel that the Republicans are in a constant state of retreat."
Both criticized the GOP's organizational abilities, PAC donations that GOP lawmakers receive and said they were ahead of other GOP lawmakers in seeking to oust Liz Cheney as House Republican Conference chair, as she faces pressure for refusing to accept Trump's false election claims.
Greene then took a swipe at Adam Kinzinger, the Illinois representative who has launched the Country First PAC to back candidates fighting against Trump's influence in the GOP.
"Speaking of certain types of Republicans, the kinds that really don't appreciate the president," she said, referring to Trump, "there's another little guy, a little guy that we both know, that might need a little visit I think, maybe on our rally tour. Little Adam," she said, as a wave of booing rippled across the room.
Kinzinger has been a vocal critic of Greene and Gaetz. He has accused the Georgia congresswoman of exploiting the fears and emotions of GOP voters.
He was also the first congressional Republican to call for the resignation of Gaetz following reports he was under investigation for allegations against him involving sex trafficking and sex with a minor. The Florida lawmaker denies the allegations but referred to them during his address.
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Greene continued: "His (Kinzinger's) plan for the next two years is to get rid of Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene because he thinks we're the problem in the Republican Party.
"What do you all think about that?" she said, to more booing.
"He thinks there should be bipartisanship with the Democrat socialists, how about that?"
Gaetz then took over, saying that "for our movement to remain inspirational" that "we have to show the ability to tell the truth about some of our own.
"If Adam Kinzinger wants to be the front man for the establishment to bring the party back to the days of Mitt Romney, John Kasich, you know what? I'm not going back."
"This is Donald Trump's party and I'm a Donald Trump Republican," he added.
Newsweek has contacted the Republican National Committee and Kinzinger's office for comment.
The original article and video coverage can be found on the Newsweek website here.