- The Washington Times - Sunday, January 14, 2024

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Sunday panned Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, accusing him of doing the bidding of Democrats over leaked details from bipartisan Senate talks on improving security at the southern border.

“The problem in the Senate is the leadership. It comes from Mitch McConnell and those that hold the power over there,” Ms. Greene, a hardline Georgia conservative, said on “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo.” “They’ve been the best possible senators for Joe Biden that you could ever expect to see.”

Conservative activists and lawmakers are recoiling over the deal potentially including provisions to make those who enter the country illegally immediately eligible for work permits and allowing up to 5,000 illegal crossings a day before new expulsion powers kick in.

No deal has been struck after roughly two months of talks, and the Republicans’ lead negotiator, Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, has denied media reports about potential policies. However, he’s declined to correct the record.

Ms. Greene has threatened to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson if he puts such a border security deal on the floor for a vote. Senators plan to attach the deal to a $110 billion national security package with funding for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan.

She also threatened that fellow House Republicans could be ousted at the ballot box if they force a vote on the legislation, should it pass the Senate.

“I hope they stand strong over there. We in the House, we aren’t going for it,” Ms. Greene said. “If any of our Republican colleagues want to cross the line and sign a discharge petition and vote with the Democrats on that, well good luck in their primary elections and good luck getting reelected.”

• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.

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