House Democrats are moving ahead with a resolution on Wednesday to strip Georgia Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of her committee assignments after it became apparent House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy would not do so on his own.
Ms Taylor Greene — the first member of Congress who has openly supported the QAnon conspiracy theory that Democrats and other elites are part of a Satan-worshipping, cannibalistic ring of pedophiles — has a years-long history of espousing discredited conspiracy theories, endorsing violence against Democratic politicians on social media, and making bigoted remarks.
“I spoke to Leader McCarthy this morning, and it is clear there is no alternative to holding a Floor vote on the resolution to remove Rep. Greene from her committee assignments. The Rules Committee will meet this afternoon, and the House will vote on the resolution tomorrow,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland, said in a statement on Wednesday.
Mr McCarthy, the top Republican in the House, had been leaning towards booting Ms Greene from the Education and Labor Committee — but not the Budget Committee — after meeting with the congresswoman on Tuesday.
After that hours-long meeting with Ms Greene, McCarthy then convened with members of the House GOP Steering Committee, which is responsible for doling out committee assignments to members of the Republican conference. The Steering Committee reportedly did not reach a decision on what to do with Ms Greene as of Tuesday.
Democrats — some of whom have been the targets of social media death threats endorsed by Ms Greene’s accounts — have stood steadfast that the congresswoman must not be allowed to work on committees with them.
Ms Greene has even earned rebukes from the top two Republicans in the Senate, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Whip John Thune of South Dakota.
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Mr McConnell has branded Ms Greene’s “loony lies” about everything from 9/11 to school shootings to the 2020 election results are a “cancer” on the party he leads on Capitol Hill.
Mr Thune told reporters on Tuesday House Republicans “are going to have to decide who they want to be” moving forward.
“Do they want to be the party of limited government and fiscal responsibility, free markets, peace through strength and pro-life or do they want to be the party of conspiracy theories and QAnon?” Mr Thune said. “I think that is the decision they've got to face. It's a big distraction for them right now and not in a good way.”
Ms Greene has been unapologetic about her past political rhetoric and had reacted defiantly on Wednesday to reports that Mr McCarthy could unilaterally remove her from her committee posts to avoid an official vote that would likely split Republicans.
“No matter what GOP Leader [Kevin McCarthy] does it would never be enough for the hate-America Democrats,” Ms Greene tweeted on Wednesday in a thread that alluded to embarrassing — but unsubstantiated — stories about Democratic members of Congress.
The controversy swirling Ms Greene came to a head last week amid reports she verbally abused a Parkland, Florida, high school shooting survivor, supported the execution of Democratic leaders in Congress on social media, and disputed whether or not a plane crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11.
She was also one of dozens of GOP members of Congress to vote against the certification of Joe Biden’s electoral victory after the insurrection at the Capitol on 6 January.
Many of those who stormed the Capitol were followers of the QAnon movement, which Ms Greene once championed.
Mr McCarthy spoke with Mr Hoyer on Wednesday seeking to cut some sort of deal about Ms Greene’s future on House committees, but Mr Hoyer and the Democrats have made it clear her presence in committee rooms is non-negotiable.
austinmiles on February 3rd, 2021 at 18:52 UTC »
Just to put this out into the open. You don't HAVE to be a shitty person. You could choose to not be selfish, or abusive, or belittling, or violent.
She didn't NEED to get kicked off of these committees. But she chose to. Because she chose to be a terrible human being, and a terrible American.
teslacoil1 on February 3rd, 2021 at 17:35 UTC »
I'm watching CNN and the Republicans are now warning the Dems not to do this or else it will set a precedent.
Like the same precedent of forcing through a SCOTUS pick right before an election? Like the precedent of attacking the Captiol to overthrow democracy?
LOL. Precedent the Republicans say!
wolverinelord on February 3rd, 2021 at 17:20 UTC »
This really puts Republicans in an awkward position, so I'm all for it. This vote can either be held over their head in a primary or in a general election, depending on how they vote.
Remove her? Hello, primary challenge. Keep her on? "Representative ________ sided with Q-Anon conspiracy theorists over murdered children."