Marjorie Taylor Greene’s most controversial moments

Since her election to the Home of Representatives in 2020, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has courted one controversy after one other together with her standing as a high-profile supporter of President Trump typically shielding her from penalties. Home Democrats voted to take away her from her committee assignments in 2021 after a few of her previous rhetoric and associations have been uncovered by reporters. Now in her third time period within the Home, Greene’s committee assignments have been restored after Republicans received the Home within the 2022 midterm elections.

The scandals haven’t bothered voters in her district. Whereas she drew a major challenger in 2022, Greene ran unopposed within the 2024 GOP major and was reelected within the 2024 normal election by practically 30 factors. She is now a serious determine in Republican politics, even after her push to oust Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) failed in Might 2024. Greene’s historical past of fiery habits lengthy predates her time in Congress, and contains extra-marital affairs, conspiracy theorizing and threats of violence in opposition to main Democrats.

In 2012, Greene reportedly had affairs with two males on the CrossFit health club the place she was employed in Alpharetta, Georgia, “one with a tantric intercourse guru named Craig Ivey, and one other with a health club supervisor named Justin Tway,” stated the Unbiased. She filed for divorce from her husband, Perry, that yr however the couple obtained again collectively earlier than finalizing a divorce in December 2022. Greene denied the allegations. The episode didn’t forestall Greene from publicly accusing Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) of getting an affair with a Chinese language spy throughout a Home Homeland Safety committee assembly on April 25, 2023. Republicans had hoped to land blows in opposition to Secretary of Homeland Safety Alejandro Mayorkas, whom they might later impeach, however “Greene’s efficiency sidetracked that dialog,” stated Fox Information.

The QAnon conspiracy idea held that an “nameless individual referred to as Q was revealing secrets and techniques a few little one trafficking ring orchestrated by Democrats and international elites,” stated The Washington Put up. Previous to her election to Congress, Greene contributed to the extremist web site American Fact Seekers, the place she promoted QAnon beliefs. She additionally “additional pushed conspiracy theories on her Fb web page,” together with the concept the 2019 mass capturing in Christchurch, New Zealand, that killed 51 individuals was a false-flag operation designed to undermine American gun rights, stated Rolling Stone. Greene additionally used social media to again conspiracy theories about 9/11 in addition to “casting doubt on college shootings,” stated The Washington Put up. “I used to be allowed to consider issues that weren’t true and I might ask questions on them and discuss them, and that’s completely what I remorse,” stated Greene when her previous habits brought on Democrats to strip her of her committee assignments in February, 2021.

Blamed California wildfires on area lasers

In a 2018 Fb submit written earlier than her election to Congress, Greene speculated that the lethal Camp Fireplace was intentionally sparked by Jewish elites in cahoots with the governor of California and energy firm PG&E to clear land for a high-speed rail mission. Her conclusions have been based mostly on the remark that “oddly there are all these individuals who have stated they noticed what appeared like lasers or blue beams inflicting the fires,” main many observers to assert that Greene believed in “Jewish area lasers.” Critics blasted the ludicrous concepts in her submit. “Aren’t there simpler methods to get your rail stations permitted by the state legislature?” stated Jonathan Chait at New York Journal. Greene’s submit was not simply absurd but in addition anti-semitic as a result of “individuals have used claims that this one specific rich household controls the world to solid aspersions on Jews on the whole” for hundreds of years, stated Zack Beauchamp at Vox.

In contrast masks and vaccine mandates to the Holocaust

On Might 20, 2021, throughout an interview with David Brody of the far-right information community Actual America Voice, Greene complained concerning the requirement to put on masks throughout Home proceedings. Forcing Jews to put on gold stars and sending them by rail to focus camps “is precisely the kind of abuse that Nancy Pelosi is speaking about,” stated Greene. She later apologized, saying “there are phrases that I’ve stated, remarks that I’ve made, that I do know are offensive, and for that, I wish to apologize.” She continued to make use of analogies to match vaccine mandates to the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany. “Individuals have a selection, they do not want your medical brown shirts exhibiting up at their door ordering vaccinations,” stated Greene in a July 6, 2021, submit on X.

Lied concerning the consequence of the 2020 presidential election

Following President Donald Trump’s defeat within the 2020 presidential election, Greene rapidly embraced his lies about Democrats utilizing fraud to vary the result. “I cannot certify a stolen election,” she wrote in a January 3, 2021, submit on X. There stays no credible proof that there was systematic fraud within the 2020 election. “Biden received the election, pretty and legally,” stated CNN.

Greene was one of many 139 Home Republicans who voted in opposition to certifying the 2020 presidential election in the course of the counting of electoral votes on January 6, 2021, a course of which was interrupted by the Capitol revolt. Greene continued to insist that the 2020 election was stolen, and previous to the 2024 election claimed in an interview with far-right extremist Alex Jones that voting machines have been switching early votes in Georgia. After Trump’s victory in 2024, she didn’t make any additional accusations of election fraud.

Blamed the January 6, 2021, revolt on Black Lives Matter and Antifa

Greene has vacillated between blaming the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot on left-wing agitators and complaining about how Black Lives Matter protesters allegedly obtained away with violence in the course of the summer season of 2020. Initially, she scoffed at the concept Trump supporters might actually have been behind the riot. “If the #Jan6 organizers have been Trump supporters, then why did they assault us whereas we have been objecting to electoral faculty votes for Joe Biden?” she stated in a February 9, 2021, submit on X. Greene nonetheless typically groundlessly blames the revolt on left-wing agitators. “I totally consider they have been Antifa/BLM [Black Lives Matter] rioters,” stated Greene in a November 2023 look on Triggered, Donald Trump, Jr.’s podcast.

Endorsed violence in opposition to Democrats

In social media posts previous to her election to Congress, Greene repeatedly endorsed violence in opposition to outstanding Democratic officers, together with former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi. In a single video posted to Fb in 2019, Greene accused Pelosi of treason, which is “a criminal offense punishable by dying,” stated Greene. In one other 2020 Fb submit previous to her election, Greene posted an image of herself holding an assault rifle subsequent to photos of Reps. Rashida Tlaib (R-Mich.), Ilhan Omar (D-MInn.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) with the caption “Squad’s Worst Nightmare.” That historical past of violent rhetoric and imagery was a part of the explanation Democrats voted to take away her from committees in 2021.