Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and Colorado Republican Representative Lauren Boebert reportedly got into a "screaming match" in a women's restroom in the United States Capitol earlier this month.
Witnesses said the incident took place on January 3, the first day Republicans assumed control of the House of Representatives after they won a slim majority in November's midterm elections.
\u201cOur story on Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert\u2019s split has some incredible details about the fight they had in the Speaker\u2019s lobby bathroom on the first day of Congress. \n\nhttps://t.co/CyPussuueT\u201d— Matt Fuller (@Matt Fuller) 1673960439
While the two women are both members of the House Freedom Caucus, they vehemently disagreed with each other over who among them should take the reins and lead the new Republican majority at a time when a far-right faction launched a rebellion to deny their former Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy the speakership.
Greene and Boebert were diametrically opposed on the matter of House leadership. While Greene sided with McCarthy and voted for him in each round, Boebert refused to endorse him and even rejected former Republican President Donald Trump's plea for far-right Republicans to end their rebellion and support McCarthy's bid.
According to one source, Greene was exiting a stall when she confronted Boebert over her efforts to block McCarthy's bid and accused her of taking money from McCarthy for her campaign but failing to support him now.
The source said Greene asked Boebert the following question:
“You were OK taking millions of dollars from McCarthy but you refuse to vote for him for speaker, Lauren?"
Another source said Greene "questioned Boebert’s loyalty to McCarthy, and after a few words were exchanged, Boebert stormed out." Boebert told Greene to not "be ugly" before she “ran out like a little schoolgirl.”
Neither Greene nor Boebert has elaborated on what happened, with Boebert only saying, “See you later, bye" when asked about the incident and Greene not commenting on it all.
While Michigan Democratic Representative Debbie Dingell was apparently present during the blow-up, she declined to talk about it, only saying:
“What happens in the ladies’ room stays in the ladies’ room."
The news of their spat prompted many to criticize their behavior.
\u201cI'm betting neither acted very Christian behind that closed door.\u201d— Susie, still COVID free (@Susie, still COVID free) 1673962999
\u201cProblem is that media has to deal with these two no goods - because GOP is in such a bad state, that they have to give power to people, who aren\u2019t really pro democracy and don\u2019t really give a damn about government.\u201d— Jan Nielsen (@Jan Nielsen) 1673970210
\u201cAre women on the far-right a threat to safety in women's restrooms? https://t.co/pFMmMJ5NY9\u201d— Charlotte Clymer \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Charlotte Clymer \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1673965382
\u201cAw come on ladies let's try and keep it classy, OK? \n\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\nhttps://t.co/DPDNw80jsE\u201d— Jeffrey Stringer #FBPE (@Jeffrey Stringer #FBPE) 1673986627
\u201cIs there anything more representative of the Republican party in 2023 than two of its members feuding in a venue designed for people to evacuate their bowels?\n\nRead the latest from @besslevin: https://t.co/SUBKjZpiip\u201d— VANITY FAIR (@VANITY FAIR) 1673993862
\u201cSo junior high Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert had a schoolyard squabble in the girls bathroom at Congress? Was it over their boyfriend and school bully Matt Gaetz?\u201d— MM \uea00 (@MM \uea00) 1673975447
\u201cnew season of real housewives of congress otw. (america is a wholly unserious place)\u201d— ros\u00e9 mourinho (@ros\u00e9 mourinho) 1673963174
\u201cMarjorie Taylor Greene hid in a bathroom stall at the Capitol and confronted Lauren Boebert about not supporting McCarthy. Boebert said \u201cdon\u2019t be ugly\u201d and ran away as fast as she could. Then they went to the parking lot and had a dance off to determine the winner.\u201d— Kate \ud83e\udeac\ud83e\udd0d\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Kate \ud83e\udeac\ud83e\udd0d\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1673959938
Greene and Boebert have come to blows before, as they did in April 2022, when the House Freedom Caucus' board of directors gathered for a meeting.
According to Politico, which broke the story, Greene and Boebert got into a verbal argument that forced another member of the Freedom Caucus to separate the pair and deescalate the situation after Boebert said she hates being regularly connected to Greene and criticized her for speaking at a White nationalist rally in February 2022.