In the end, only 11 Republicans voted to discipline Marjorie Taylor Greene, despite the Republican Congresswoman’s claim that space lasers had started forest fires, suggesting that mass shootings didn’t really happen and supporting the assassination of Democratic politicians.
The vote, on removing Greene from his duties on the committee, perfectly reflected the dilemma faced by Republicans in 2021: does the Republican Party continue on the unbalanced, theory-laden conspiracy path taken by Greene and others, or return to the serious and conservative view of relatively recent past – potentially alienating Donald Trump supporters along the way.
Most Republican members of Congress chose the first option, but Greene was removed from his committee duties anyway, as 230 to 199 representatives voted to leave Greene with little or no power in the House.
The vote came after Republican House leader Kevin McCarthy decided not to punish Greene at an internal party meeting this week – a meeting in which the congresswoman would have received standing ovations from some colleagues after apologizing for her earlier comments.
These observations, discovered by Media Matters, a progressive watchdog, include Greene’s claim in 2018 that a laser beam from space had started a devastating fire in California. According to Greene, an executive at “Rothschild Inc” was somewhat involved – the Rothschild family has repeatedly been the subject of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.
In Facebook posts, Greene also hinted that Hillary Clinton was involved in the 1999 plane crash that killed John F. Kennedy Jr – Clinton did not – and suggested that Barack Obama sent members of the MS-13 gang to kill a Democratic official – Obama does not.
In another Islamophobic speech on Facebook, discovered by CNN, Greene that Muslims “want to conquer” the United States and aim to maim the genitalia of American women.
Greene, who expressed support for the anti-Semitic conspiracy QAnon, which has been linked to several violent acts in the U.S., will now be removed from their positions on the House budget and on education and labor committees, although it will likely remain a vocal presence outside Congress.
Reflecting the influence of the Republican Party’s Trump wing, few Republican Party members have publicly criticized Greene. In a statement, McCarthy said he condemned Greene’s earlier comments, but suggested that the congresswoman would remain at a higher standard in the future.
“This Republican party is a very big tent,” said McCarthy on Wednesday. “Everyone is invited.”
McCarthy and the Republican Party faced harsh criticism from Democrats for their stance, including Nancy Pelosi, who attacked McCarthy for his “cowardly refusal” to discipline Greene. “McCarthy’s failure to lead his party effectively hands over the keys to Greene – an anti-Semite, a supporter of QAnon and Truther on 9/11,” said the mayor.
Mitch McConnell, the leader of the Republican minority in the Senate, was one of the few to criticize Greene, attacking his “crazy lies and conspiracy theories” and calling his views “cancer for the Republican party”.
In a sign of the dangers that non-conspiracy Republicans face, however, Senator Ben Sasse is facing a censorship resolution from his own party in Nebraska for his criticisms of Trump’s role in the U.S. Capitol riot.
Sasse, seen as relatively moderate, responded to the Nebraska Republican party in a video message on Thursday.
“You can blame me again, but let’s be clear about why this is happening: it’s because I still believe – as you used to – that politics is not about a guy’s strange worship,” said Sasse.
As the vote on his committee’s assignments approached on Thursday, Greene addressed some of his previous comments, stating that “school shootings are absolutely real” and that “9/11 absolutely happened”.
On Friday morning, however, Greene looked unrepentant, while using a press conference to sum up the intertwining of the Republican and Trump parties. “It’s his party – it doesn’t belong to anyone else,” Greene told reporters. On twitteralso, Greene seemed optimistic.
“I woke up early this morning, literally laughing, thinking about what a bunch of idiots Democrats (+11) are for giving free time to someone like me,” Greene posted.
“In this tyrannical Democratic government, conservative Republicans have no say in the committees. Oh, this is going to be fun! “