According to a report from CNN’s Melanie Zanona, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) still fears publicly criticizing some of the extremist members of his caucus and, behind the scenes, has assigned a staff member to advise Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) on how to dig herself out after she goes too far with her inflammatory comments.
According to CNN’s “New Day” host Brianna Keilar, “A top adviser to House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy was involved in a behind the scenes effort to rehabilitate the reputation of Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. This adviser facilitated Taylor Greene’s visit to the Holocaust Memorial from last month after which she publicly apologized for her anti-semitic remarks.”
“Here is the thing though,” the CNN host added. “That remorse didn’t stick. She invoked Nazi-era imagery again this week to mock Covid safety practices.”
“The issue for Kevin McCarthy is he has taken a soft-handed touch when it comes to radical members in his conference,” Zanona explained. “He has not punished them — he prefers to work behind the scenes, haul them in and have private meetings with them. I’ve also learned there is a mentorship program in place where they’ll assign senior lawmakers to guide some of the freshmen like Greene. but it’s not working.”
“We have seen these members act out and it’s not just Greene,” she continued. “There are members in the House Republican Conference who have spoken at a conference organized by a white nationalist, there are Republicans who are suggesting the FBI had something to do with the January 6th insurrection and there are Republicans who are essentially defending the rioter who was shot after she stormed the Capitol.”
“So, I think for McCarthy it is a question whether this loose parenting style is effective and it’s also a huge political risk for him as well because Democrats are trying to seize on this, make it a campaign issue in the 2022 midterms,” she suggested. “But at the end of the day, the reality for McCarthy, he doesn’t want to alienate this group of Donald Trump-aligned Republicans whom he will need to count on votes for [House] Speaker one day.”
“These youngsters think they know everything,” Keilar joked. “Where is the parenting, the actual stepping in?”
“Exactly,” Zanona replied. “There’s been no consequences. there’s been no punishment. If you remember, there has been some punishments for some republicans, Liz Cheney was kicked out of leadership early this year for her repeated criticism of Trump and Democrats say that’s a clear double standard. McCarthy will not punish Greene and others who crossed the line.”
Among the Fray 