- Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene argued that the pro-Trump crowd that invaded the Capitol may not have consisted of Trump supporters.
- This happened days after Greene apologized for his earlier support for conspiracy theories.
- She was stripped of her duties on the committee after endorsing political violence.
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Georgia’s Marjorie Taylor Greene falsely suggested Tuesday morning that the pro-Trump crowd that invaded the United States Capitol on January 6 did not really consist of Trump supporters.
“If the organizers of # Jan6 were supporters of Trump, then why did they attack us while challenging the polling station votes for Joe Biden?” she tweeted. “The attack RUINED our objection, for which we spent weeks preparing, which devastated our efforts on behalf of Trump and his constituents.”
Greene’s tweet was part of a longer topic about the siege and impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump in the Senate. This came just days after she clarified in the House her long-standing support for baseless conspiracy theories about QAnon, the 9/11 terrorist attacks and school shootings. Greene distanced himself from the pro-Trump lie QAnon and apologized for trafficking in false claims that mass shootings were staged and that the Pentagon was not hit by a plane on September 11.
On Thursday, House Democrats and 11 Republicans voted to remove Greene from his committee duties after media reports detailed his earlier support for the execution of prominent Democrats.
“They put pipe bombs on the RNC and DNC the night before [the siege], “Greene tweeted on Tuesday.” They were NOT just for a party. They targeted Republicans and Democrats. They were against the government ALL together. “
- Fact check: It is true that the protesters were aimed at both Democrats and Republicans. The attack came after Trump spent months attacking both Democrats and Republican Party members who he believed did not do enough to defend his baseless claim that the election was “rigged” and stolen from him.
- At a “Save America” rally in Washington, DC just before the siege, Trump told thousands of his supporters to “walk to the Capitol” and “cheer for our brave senators, congressmen and women”, adding, “We are you probably won’t be rooting so much for some of them, because you will never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength and you have to be strong. “
- The then president also attacked his vice president, Mike Pence, on Twitter and in public statements, initially asking him to block the formalization of Biden’s victory (which the vice president cannot do) and then telling Pence he was missing “courage” when Trump said he would not carry out his orders. During the rebellion, several Trump supporters were heard saying they wanted to execute Pence by hanging him from a Capitol tree.
“The attack on the Capitol was planned and organized, it was NOT prompted by President Trump at the time, and NO Republican members were involved,” Greene continued on his Twitter thread. “ALL of us were victims that day. And again, Trump is the victim of the endless hatred-fueled witch hunt.”
- Fact check: Lawyers representing several people who were charged in connection with the Capitol rebellion said their clients were acting explicitly on Trump’s orders. One of the defendants, Jacob Chansley, also known as QAnon Shaman, volunteered to testify at Trump’s impeachment trial.
Sought to comment, Greene’s spokesman, Nick Dyer, replied, “You are fake news. She explicitly said the organizers.”
- Fact check: One of the main rallies of January 6, which preceded the Capitol riot, was organized by pro-Trump Ali Alexander, an organizer of the “Stop the Theft” movement. Alexander tweeted on December 30: “everyone can guess what me and 500,000 others will do with that building … 1776 is * always * an option.” The day before the siege, Alexander led shouts of “Victory or death” at Freedom Plaza in Washington. He denied inciting the riot.
- Alexander said he coordinated with Republican representatives Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar, from Arizona, and Mo Brooks, from Alabama, the organization of “maximum pressure on Congress while they were voting” on electoral certification on January 6.
- Major Republican groups, including the Republican Attorneys General Association, Turning Point Action and Tea Party Patriots, as well as Women for America First, participated and helped organize similar pro-Trump marches and rallies on January 5 and 6.
Dyer added that Greene “did not make a declarative statement in one way or another”, but that she “simply asked a question”.
The House of Representatives impeached Trump last month on charges of inciting insurrection related to the siege of the Capitol. His Senate trial will begin on Tuesday afternoon with a debate over the constitutionality of holding a trial in the first place, as Trump is now out of office.
A two-thirds majority is required for the Senate to condemn and dismiss an official from office and potentially prevent him from returning to public office. Democrats have an absolute majority in the upper house – 50 seats plus Vice President Kamala Harris’ tie-break vote – meaning that at least 17 Republicans would have to split up to guarantee Trump’s sentencing. This is highly unlikely, given that 45 Senate Republicans voted last month to declare the trial unconstitutional before it even started.