WASHINGTON — Returning from a two-week hiatus, members of the House Freedom Caucus declined to say on Tuesday whether they had expelled Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from the hardline conservative group.
“I’m not arguing about that,” said Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry, R-Pa.
“I’m not talking about joining the Freedom Caucus,” added Greene’s rival, Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.
“I’m just not going to comment on this with all the global issues,” said Rep. Ralph Norman, RS.C.
After two weeks of confusion over whether Greene, R-Ga., a top ally of former President Donald Trump, was still an active member of the group, members of the Freedom Caucus declined to provide clarification on Tuesday, calling the matter an internal problem.
“It’s none of your business. It’s our business,” said Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., another Freedom Caucus member who last week told reporters the group had voted to impeach Greene. .
“These are private matters and concerns,” added Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas.
Earlier, members of the Freedom Caucus said they took an “overwhelming” vote to oust Greene from the group on June 23 – the day lawmakers left for the July 4 recess – because of his steadfast support for the President Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and for her having called Boebert a “little b—-” on the house floor.
But GOP sources said Greene did not hear directly from Perry or anyone in the Freedom Caucus that she had been expelled. Some senior members of the Freedom Caucus argued that Perry tried to contact Greene by email, text and phone, but she rebuffed his efforts.
Greene appeared to confirm that account on Tuesday, saying she wasn’t interested in speaking to Perry on the phone — “just in person.” But as of Tuesday night, the pair had still not connected.
She also complained that her colleagues in the Freedom Caucus had not personally informed her of the action they had taken on the morning of June 23, when lawmakers were still in session.
When asked if she still considers herself a member of the Freedom Caucus, Greene replied, “I consider myself the representative of Georgia’s 14th district.”
Norman added to the confusion by saying it was Greene’s decision to leave the band, which Greene did not confirm.
“She left the Freedom Caucus. Her views weren’t the same, which is good,” Norman said. “She’s a good friend. We just disagree.
Greene arrived in Washington in January 2021 as a conservative bomb-thrower and thorn in the side of the GOP leadership. But a year later, she and McCarthy have formed an unlikely partnership. Greene has become one of McCarthy’s fiercest defenders in his bid for president and defended his deal with President Joe Biden to raise the debt ceiling amid conservative attacks.
On Tuesday, McCarthy called Greene “one of the hardest working members” of Congress and placed her in the Speaker’s chair to preside over the House floor.
“I don’t know why they would do something like that,” McCarthy said of the Freedom Caucus. “But I’ll tell you this – Marjorie Taylor Greene is a very good MP, works hard, represents her district.”
Some members of the Freedom Caucus said they were not told two weeks ago that there was an effort to oust Greene from the group and that they did not attend the 8 a.m. meeting where the vote took place.
“I wasn’t involved in that. I didn’t attend the vote. I didn’t even know it was happening,” Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Arizona, said in an interview.
This article originally appeared on NBCNews.com