Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) is leaving Congress this week, and it seems his departure won’t be warmly received by his fellow Republicans.
The House Freedom Caucus made a decision on Tuesday night to expel Buck, as initially reported by The Hill. Despite being a long-standing member of the conservative group, he has not been present at meetings for several months.
Last week, Buck revealed his plans to step down from Congress on Friday. This move will further decrease the already slim majority of House Republicans and leave his district without a representative for three months until a special election is held.
Buck has found himself increasingly isolated in Congress after he diverged from his party on key issues. He chose not to support Donald Trump, opposed the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and voted against Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) for Speaker on the House floor. Last year, he expressed to CNN his decision not to seek reelection, citing the falsehoods perpetuated by Republicans regarding the 2020 election results and the events of January 6, 2021.
Buck also publicly acknowledged last year his consideration of an early departure from Congress for a potentially lucrative role as a commentator for a left-leaning media outlet like CNN.
The Congressman cited his desire to be more involved in this election cycle as the vague reason for his early exit, sharing with CNN’s Dana Bash:
“In Colorado, I constantly hear dissatisfaction with both Trump and Biden. I believe we need to reform our electoral laws, and I’m passionate about this. I plan to leave and join the right organization to tackle this issue. It’s crucial we have better candidates across all levels of government, not just for the presidency but also for the Senate, House, and local positions. We need to improve how we elect candidates and unite the country.”
A spokesperson for the House Freedom Caucus stated to Breitbart News, “HFC does not discuss membership or its internal workings.”
Bradley Jaye serves as a Capitol Hill Correspondent for Breitbart News. You can follow him on X/Twitter at @BradleyAJaye.