‘She must be Trump’s person’: Marjorie Taylor Greene’s primary opponent blames White House involvement for her win

Mark Meadows was said to have been instrumental in the controversial candidate's primary win

Marjorie Taylor Greene’s opponent in August's primary runoff has claimed that party members knew the controversial candidate would be a “problem” but that these concerns were overwhelmed by her White House backing.

John Cowan, Rep Greene's opponent in the runoff for Georgia's 14th District seat, told Axios on Thursday that he had warned both House minority leader Kevin McCarthy and minority whip Steve Scalise ahead of the primary that “she's bad for the party.”

"I said she has real problems and does not represent, at least what I think of as, someone who would be allowed even in a big-tented party. I mean, at some point, you have to say, 'No shoes, no shirt, no service,’” he said.

According to Mr Cowan, both Rep McCarthy and Rep Scalise condemned Rep Greene, and Rep Scalise supported Mr Cowan, but he reportedly said that little else was done to stop her and her support from those close to the White House was overwhelming.

Mr Cowan told the website that Rep Greene’s endorsement by high profile figures such as former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, and Rep Jim Jordan of Ohio, pushed Rep Greene forward despite concerns.

"The House Freedom Caucus put their fingers on the scale in a big way," Mr Cowan, a neurosurgeon, said. "By default it was sort of, 'She must be Trump's person.' If those guys are going to bat for her, she must be Trump’s endorsed person.”

Mr Meadows, the former president’s chief of staff, was said to have been instrumental in helping Rep Greene secure a victory in the GOP primary, according to Federal Election Commission documents. She received a campaign finance boost from several key Republicans in August.

After she won the congressional primary Mr Trump called her a "future Republican Star" who is "strong on everything and never gives up".

Rep McCarthy and Rep Scalise did not immediately reply to a request for comment by The Independent.  

"Everybody was well aware of her previous persona and who she is. I would say they all knew she was going to be a problem," Mr Cowan said.

The newly appointed lawmaker has generated significant scrutiny over the last few days following the emergence of a number of alleged social media interactions and videos on her YouTube page.

There have been reports that posts allegedly appeared to show her supporting conspiracies surrounding the 9-11 attacks and various school shootings or indications of support for violence against Democratic lawmakers.

In response to the surfaced social media posts, Rep Greene has suggested that she was not the only one with access to her social media accounts.

“Over the years, I’ve had teams of people manage my pages. Many posts have been liked. Many posts have been shared. Some did not represent my views,” she said in a statement to CNN.

During her campaign, Rep Greene often made headlines for her previous support for the QAnon conspiracy theory, which Mr McCarthy said in August there was “no place” for in the party.

A spokesperson for Mr McCarthy, told Axios in a statement on Wednesday that “Leader McCarthy plans to have a conversation” with Rep Greene about the “deeply disturbing” comments.

Rep Scalise told CNN, “I've consistently condemned the use of violent rhetoric in politics on both sides, and this is no exception. There is no place for comments like that in our political discourse."

California congressman Jimmy Gomez moved on Wednesday to expel Ms Greene from Congress over alleged past social media interactions endorsing violence against Democrats.

“They are coming after me because I'm a threat to their goal of Socialism. They are coming after me because they know I represent the people, not the politicians,” Rep Greene said in a statement on Tuesday.

“They are coming after me because like President Trump, I will always defend conservative values. They want to take me out because I represent the people. And they absolutely hate it.”