Montana Rep Explains Why He Didn’t Take Trump’s Phone Call
"It was the perfect phone call." That's what Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) tweeted out Friday night/ Saturday morning as House Republicans were about to elect Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House.
What phone call was she referring to when she tweeted out the photo below? A phone call from former President Donald J. Trump. A phone call for Montana Congressman Matt Rosendale (R-MT02), as Trump was trying to persuade Rosendale and a few remaining holdouts to vote in support of McCarthy.
Congressman Rosendale joined us on Monday's "Montana Talks statewide radio show with Aaron Flint" to talk about the vote and how Republicans will unite moving forward. We also asked about the phone call.
Aaron Flint: "Apparently she says it was Donald Trump on the phone wanting to talk to you. Tell us what that moment was like from your perspective. And did you know Trump was on the phone line? And if so, why did you reject the phone call from President Trump?"
Rep. Rosendale: "So that was a very disappointing point. And again, this goes to show the pressure cooker that we were in at that moment. Quite frankly, utilizing- speaking on the phone on the floor, or using a camera on the floor is a fineable offense. You are not supposed to be speaking on a telephone on the floor. It is a fineable offense, and I was steadfast in my representation of Montana, and felt it was completely out of line for someone to call the president without my consent, and to try to insert me into a conversation while I was involved in a historic, rapidly changing vote. That was out of line."
Aaron Flint: "Yeah, interesting. Well, if I understood it correctly, because the speaker hadn't been confirmed yet none of the members were sworn in. I guess some of those rules didn't apply. Which is why it seemed like so many people were whipping out their smartphones."
Rep. Rosendale: "Yeah well I will tell you what rules do apply, and that is common courtesy and professionalism. They always apply, and they were both violated in that moment."
Here's the full audio from Monday's statewide show. We also heard from Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke (R-MT01):