Republicans face quandary over her remarks
WASHINGTON – Congressional Republicans have an actual dilemma on their arms: What to do about Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Lower than a month after being sworn into workplace, the ultra-right, conspiracy-spouting congresswoman from northwest Georgia has turned what ought to have been a GOP celebration over congressional positive factors within the Nov. three election into find out how to deal with the unapologetically outspoken freshman’s previous controversial remarks.
Do they formally reprimand her or strip her of committee assignments – as they did two years in the past with Steve King of Iowa after he made feedback about white nationalism. Or do they proceed to remain silent on the controversy – hoping it dies down. Both selection dangers alienating elements of their caucus.
It is a conundrum for prime Home GOP members, notably Minority Chief Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who plans to fulfill with Greene subsequent week.
Regardless of some preliminary reservations, Republican leaders helped Greene win the seat she holds and, this week, rewarded her with an appointment to the Home Training and Labor Committee. On the similar time, McCarthy, way of a spokesman, indicated his displeasure with Greene following newly unearthed social media posts earlier than she got here to Congress, however he and different Republican leaders have largely remained silent on the worsening controversy over Greene’s previous remarks and conduct.
The furor over Greene has grown every day as new social media posts from Greene’s previous have grow to be headlines, every part from “liking” posts that referred to as for violence in opposition to distinguished Democrats to outlining wild conspiracies {that a} area laser could have been guilty for lethal wildfires in California.
And all of the whereas, congressional Republicans remained principally mum whereas Democrats referred to as for Greene to be censured, faraway from her committee and even ousted from Congress.
CNN lately revealed an in-depth take a look at Greene’s Fb earlier than she ran for workplace, discovering she “favored” a remark in January 2019 that mentioned Pelosi needs to be taken out with a “bullet to the pinnacle.” In a video round that point, Greene mentioned Pelosi was “a traitor to our nation, she’s responsible of treason,” saying it was “a criminal offense punishable demise.”
Democrats have been already upset about her beforehand identified help of the QAnon conspiracy motion, the far-right fringe motion that baselessly claims a “deep-state” cabal of pedophiles tried to carry down then-President Donald Trump.
However the newest revelations in addition to her insistent claims – with out benefit – that Trump received the presidential election even after his supporters stormed the Capitol have prompted calls Democrats for Inexperienced’s censure and even expulsion. That solely intensified after her appointment to the schooling panel given the revelation in social media posts that she considered capturing massacres at Sandy Hook Elementary Faculty in Connecticut (2012) and Marjorie Stoneman Douglas in Florida (2018) as staged occasions designed to assist Democrats promote gun management.
“This girl needs to be on a watch listing. Not in Congress,” Hillary Clinton tweeted.
Nevertheless it’s Republicans, thus far principally silent, who will resolve Greene’s destiny within the Home.
On Friday, Greene remained resolute in the face of accelerating criticism and even supplied a warning to her fellow conservatives.
“I’ll no means again down. I’ll no means quit. As a result of I’m certainly one of you. And I’ll at all times characterize you,” she mentioned in a press release posted to her practically 300,000 Twitter followers. “If Republicans cower to the mob, and let Democrats and the Faux Information media take me out, they’re opening the door to return after each single Republican till there’s none left.”
Denver Riggleman, a former Virginia congressman, does not count on she’ll pay a lot of a worth given the celebration’s continued loyalty to Trump and the anger many GOP voters really feel over an election they falsely imagine was stolen from him – and them.
“She’s a conduit to what some individuals are nonetheless believing on cease the steal,” Riggleman, a former Air Pressure officer and Nationwide Safety Company contractor who writes about excessive perception techniques in his new guide “Bigfoot … It is sophisticated,” informed MSNBC Friday. “I actually did suppose we had a while the place we might purge this out of the system or out of the GOP fully, however proper now you are seeing a actually quiet rage, nearly a double down on a few of these ‘cease the steal’ conspiracy theories.”
Extra:QAnon supporter Marjorie Taylor Greene wins Georgia Home seat
Greene, who has been a congresswoman for practically 4 weeks, has not apologized for the remarks. However in a press release Tuesday on Twitter, she mentioned others helped handle her account over time.
“Many posts have been favored. Many posts have been shared. Some didn’t characterize my views,” she wrote.
Mark Bednar, a spokesman for McCarthy, informed Axios that Greene’s feedback have been “deeply disturbing and Chief McCarthy plans to have a dialog with the Congresswoman about them.”
Extra:Reality examine: What’s true in regards to the 2020 election, vote counting, Electoral Faculty
That dialog is scheduled to occur in individual subsequent week earlier than McCarthy examines any doable reprimands for Greene, in line with a supply with data of the assembly who could not focus on plans publicly.
McCarthy visited Trump Thursday at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida, a sign the previous president nonetheless holds sway within the celebration regardless of low approval rankings in nationwide polls.
The ex-president supported Greene’s candidacy, calling her “an actual WINNER” in a tweet after she received her GOP major final 12 months in Georgia’s deeply purple District 14 seat. She not solely continues to be a number one voice in Congress difficult the presidential outcomes, she filed impeachment papers in opposition to Joe Biden the day after he was inaugurated.
Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, certainly one of 10 GOP lawmakers who voted lately to question Trump on an article of inciting the Jan. 6 riot on the Capitol, mentioned Republicans must take inventory of their celebration.
“We have got to stop being a celebration of persona and get again to a celebration of rules first,” mentioned Kinzinger when requested about Greene on CNN Thursday. It means “going again to the American individuals and to the Republican celebration and reminding of us of the place we got here from, which we have misplaced.”
McCarthy’s predicament has evoked comparisons to his dealing with of King, the long-time Iowa Republican Home member who was stripped of his committee assignments in 2019 following statements he made about white nationalism and white supremacy. King had been rebuked beforehand as properly for making different statements deemed racially insensitive.
“His feedback name into query whether or not he’ll deal with all People equally, with out regard for race and ethnicity,” McCarthy mentioned in a press release explaining the choice to punish King. “Home Republicans are clear: We’re all on this collectively, as fellow residents equal earlier than God and the legislation.”
Contributing: David Jackson
