Rep. Bob Good (R-VA ), the anti-Trump present chairman of the House Freedom Caucus who is currently facing a pro-Trump state senator as a primary challenger in Virginia, made significant rule adjustments to the House Freedom Caucus ‘ bylaws this week that would take the organization in a markedly different way from its original purpose at the organization’s foundation.
The president put in a file and gave it to other members, alarming numerous resources from Freedom Caucus offices who are familiar with what Good circulated regarding proposed modifications to the House Freedom Caucus rules. They worry that what Good may be doing is intended to bolster his position and deviate from the Freedom Caucus ‘ initial goal of advancing a traditional plan. The resources who spoke with Breitbart News described the document’s contents, but they did not offer a genuine copy because they worried that Good purposefully created alternate versions of the plan report to look for potential leaks like this.
The plan Good sent to other Liberty Caucus individuals contains four significant rule changes. The plan aims to prohibit any committee chairs from holding any votes in the total House of Representatives. There are two complete committee chairs, but it’s not clear if this request would also use to committee chairs. Rep. Jim Jordan ( R- OH), who chairs Judiciary, and Rep. Mark Green ( R- TN), who chairs Homeland Security—who are users of the Freedom Caucus now.
Rep. Jim Jordan ( R- OH) ( Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty )
More than a decade ago, when next Speaker John Boehner was working with then-President Barack Obama and another Liberals against the wishes of conservatives and Republicans, Jordan was also the group’s foundation chair. In the fall of 2015, then-current Freedom Caucus president and former White House chief of staff, then-Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), who was the first to promote the “motion to abandon the chair” tactic, Boehner had ultimately lose his Senate. Although Meadows ‘ action always received a vote on it, Boehner’s introduction electrified the country and sparked enough GOP opposition to call a vote. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL ) would years later use a similar strategy against then-current former Speaker Kevin McCarthy when he really forced a ballot on his movements to resign, leading to McCarthy’s resignation. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA ), who most recently blocked a motion to remove current House Speaker Mike Johnson, succeeded in thwarting the Democrats ‘ efforts to save Johnson’s speakership. Johnson relied on former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries to keep his work because he had not received enough Democratic support to keep his job with only Republicans.
When the Freedom Caucus was founded, the group’s members sought to increase the people ‘ power and influence by winning numerous committee tasks and visits as committee and subcommittee chair. However, by stripping folks like Jordan and Green of their voting rights, they are completely in opposition to their original intentions. In fact, a significant part of the founding of the Freedom Caucus was the revelation that Boehner was removing conservatives from committee assignments in late 2012, and that Meadows actually moved forward with the removal because Meadows had voted against a guideline on the House floor.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene ( R- GA ) ( Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty )
The plan Good sent to other users also includes a clause that would grant a president the authority to at any time disclose membership in the Freedom Caucus or even a complete list of members. This in and of itself may change the Freedom Caucus significantly. Members like Jordan and Meadows purposefully kept account exclusive and secret until they could officially identify themselves as members of the House Freedom Caucus, which would be a significant change for the organization. Because some people who supported the Freedom Caucus and the advancement of liberal causes wanted to remain anonymous in order to avoid pressure from the leadership in Congress or from any other unfreakable outside forces that might interfere with the achievement of that conventional mission, they made these confidentiality provisions abundantly clear.
By including “virtual meetings” in the list of those that required presence, a second change in the proposal Great sent round would make it easier for the president to kick any Freedom Caucus members out of the organization. Members of the Freedom Caucus are currently only allowed to attend three Freedom Caucus meetings without having an “excused absence”; however, this proposal would change that to include “virtual meetings.” Another significant change is being made by Freedom Caucus offices who are familiar with Good’s proposal, which they expressed real reservations about to Breitbart News, especially given the organization’s decision last year to remove Georgian Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. She was fired by the organization because she disagreed with some of the group’s methods for handling disagreements with the leadership.
The proposal Good circulated also contains a fourth modification that would increase the amount of money members would have to deduct as members ‘ contributions to the Freedom Caucus. Every elected member of Congress receives a certain amount of tax money, known as an MRA, that can be used for things like paying taxes to organizations like the Freedom Caucus as well as more general operating expenses of their office. Organizations like the Freedom Caucus use the MRAs ‘ dues to turn around and employ staff members as shared staffers.
Good’s spokesman, current Freedom Caucus communications director Harry Fones, is one of such staffers. When asked for comment from Breitbart News, Fones obtained a joint statement from members of the Freedom Caucus Committee on Bylaws, Reps. Andy Ogles (R-TN), Andy Harris (R-MD), and Michael Cloud (R-TX ), who claimed they had drafted the proposal Good sent to members. They did not disagree with any of the specific proposed changes listed above, but they did point out that the changes in the proposal Good sent was in line with the original plan for the Freedom Caucus, despite the fact that they claim the organization’s bylaws have not been significantly altered since 2015, even though they claim the group’s bylaws have not been significantly altered.
” While HFC does not typically comment on internal matters, the claims of anonymous sources are so inaccurate that we want to set the record straight”, Ogles, Harris, and Cloud said in the joint statement. The Board of Directors of the House Freedom Caucus appointed us to a” Commission on Bylaws” to review the organization’s rules, which have n’t been significantly changed since 2015. The board unanimously approved of us giving our recommendations to the entire group, and we look forward to a discussion with the HFC Members. Any claims that this procedure deviates from the House Freedom Caucus ‘ founding principles or that it aims to consolidate power are absurd are made. This internal management is necessary to make the House Freedom Caucus an even better force in the fight to defend our traditional values and the Constitution.
Good, who presided over the Freedom Caucus this year, last year supported Florida Governor. In the GOP presidential primary, Ron DeSantis triumphs over Donald Trump. Before DeSantis was even in the race, he did it the day Trump was charged with being indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Good made the other anti-Trump move throughout the year. Additionally, he frequently criticized the former president and was caught on camera ripping Trump, leading to Chris LaCivita becoming a vocal supporter of Virginia State Sen. John McGuire over Good. McGuire was in Trump’s motorcade earlier this month when he rode to his trial in New York, despite the fact that Trump has not yet endorsed in the race and it is unclear whether he will do so. Good, who has since tried to come off as not opposed to Trump, showed up alongside several congressional colleagues outside the courthouse on the same day.
ὄ Rep. Bob Good, a DeSantis supporter, told me this last month:” I challenge you or anyone else to find my criticism of Donald Trump”.
Appears Good was secretly recorded doing just that: https ://t.co/PZPcPIhlUH
— Olivia Beavers ( @Olivia_Beavers ) December 8, 2023
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McGuire, in a recent Breitbart News Saturday interview, called Good a “backstabbing Never Trumper”.
” So yes, I call him a Never Trumper. Let’s fast forward to 2022…he begged Trump for an endorsement. And then when the chips are down, and, you know, when the chips are down, that’s how you find out who your allies are. When the chips were down, and Trump got indicted for this ridiculous case he’s going through right now, this week, that’s the day he endorsed DeSantis”, McGuire said, adding that Good spent “eight months going around the district saying that Trump was n’t pro- life, was n’t pro- gun, was n’t a conservative, and saying that he is the only man that could lose to Biden”.
While the proposed rule changes Good sent to Freedom Caucus offices are currently just that—a proposal, some conservatives worry that he may call a meeting and slog them along quickly. If Good calls a quick meeting, he might be able to change the bylaws right away on short notice. They can be changed at any Freedom Caucus meeting with two-thirds support.
