The daughter of Rep. Mark Green has mourned the “loss of the man she thought of as a father” as the family struggles to move forward after the congressman's adultery allegations.
“My father presents himself in politics as a Christian, conservative family man,” says Katherine Green. He told the Nashville Banner. “That hasn't been the way he's acted this past year.”
Sen. Greene (R-Tenn.) was accused last month by his wife, Camilla “Kammie” Greene, of cheating on him with a woman 27 years his junior, whom Greene called a “predator.”
In a group text sent to lawmakers on September 11, Rep. Camey alleged that Greene was “having an affair with a 32-year-old woman,” according to messages reviewed by The Washington Post.
Katherine Green claims her father's affair began last fall but was not discovered until her politician brother found letters from the woman on his desk.
Greene initially denied the allegations, but family members discovered “additional evidence” at his Montgomery County home.
“Over the last year and a half, two years, we've really noticed a change in him. Who knows if it was the toxic environment in Washington, D.C., but something changed,” Katherine told the outlet. “We've all just been left to basically grieve the loss of the person we thought of as our father.”
The frustrated daughter said her father had become increasingly “self-centered” and distant, including a lack of communication over Christmas and a lack of interest in family activities.
Cammie Green found herself in hot water after she sent messages to her husband's mistress, misidentifying her as a reporter for the political news outlet Axios.
She received a cease and desist letter from Axios' in-house lawyers stating that the allegations were “false and per se defamatory,” and the media outlet asked for a follow-up message to correct the mistake.
“Your messages not only caused our reporter significant emotional distress but also damaged her professional reputation,” Axios content counsel Brian Westley wrote to Cammie Green.
The unidentified woman with whom Greene was romantically involved works in politics but is not affiliated with the media outlet. According to Politico.
“I want to correct the record because I misidentified someone in that message. My husband has never had an affair with an Axios reporter and I regret ever saying that,” she told the outlet.
Cammie Green claims she offered to help him overcome marital troubles but was rebuffed.
“I have offered to reconcile, but he does not want that at all and is insisting on divorce,” Cammie Green said in the message, which was also forwarded by email to her congressional office, a congressional aide told The Washington Post.
“Satan has rewritten our marriage, and I've been pretty open about it because 1) I value anyone who prays for me, and 2) I want others to know how easy it is for 'predators' to prey on our husbands,” she added.
Once news of the affair spread in Washington, the 59-year-old politician chose to file for divorce.
“This is a difficult time for me and my family and I am currently in the process of divorce. This is a very private matter and I ask that you respect my privacy. I will continue to serve this district to the best of my ability, just as I have for the last five and a half years,” Green said.
Greene, who chairs the Homeland Security Committee, has been House Republicans' leading attacker of the Harris-Biden administration over the ongoing border crisis.
However, he announced on Valentine's Day this year that he would not seek reelection, only to reverse that decision 15 days later.
Greene will face former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, a Democrat, in the Nov. 5 general election.
