Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, once counted among Donald Trump's most vocal allies on Capitol Hill, announced that she will step down from the U.S. House of Representatives early next year. In a post on X, Greene said January 5 will be her final day in office.
Greene looks ahead to 'a new path'
In the post, Greene said she had “I have too much self-respect and dignity, love my family way too much, and do not want my sweet district to have to endure a hurtful and hateful primary against me by the President we all fought for, only to fight and win my election while Republicans will likely lose the midterms."
According to a report by Bloomberg, in any case, the resignation marks the end of a turbulent phase in her political career that became shaped by a very public breakdown in her relationship with the former president.
Rift after push to release Epstein files
As per the report by Bloomberg, Greene was among the Republicans who pushed the Justice Department to release public records related to Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex trafficker. The effort gained her support from some Democrats who had otherwise clashed with her on nearly every issue, but it also opened a new front with Trump.
The feud escalated when Trump called her a "traitor" and indicated he would back the "right person" against her in the upcoming midterm elections. In her announcement, Greene said she would not put her district through a bruising primary fight driven by the former president.
Also Read | ‘Terrible reporter’, ‘quiet, piggy’: White House justifies Donald Trump’s remarks on women journalists
Trump calls resignation 'great news'
In response to her decision, Trump described it as "great news for the country", ABC reported, citing a phone conversation. He also said he had no advance knowledge of her announcement, the network further reported through one of its correspondents on X, Bloomberg reported.
Greene represents a reliably Republican district in northwest Georgia, but her departure comes at a sensitive time for House GOP leaders. The report states that with the chamber divided at 219-213, plus three existing vacancies, her exit will further tighten what's already a narrow majority as Speaker Mike Johnson heads into another round of negotiations on government funding.
