WASHINGTON 鈥� A fiercely divided House tossed Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene off both her committees Thursday, an unprecedented punishment that Democrats said she鈥檇 earned by spreading hateful and violent conspiracy theories.
Underscoring the political vise her inflammatory commentary has clamped her party into, nearly all Republicans voted against the Democratic move but none defended her lengthy history of outrageous social media posts.
Yet in a riveting moment, the freshman Republican from a deep-red corner of Georgia took to the House floor on her own behalf. She offered a mixture of backpedaling and finger-pointing as she wore a dark mask emblazoned with the words 鈥淔REE SPEECH.鈥�
The chamber鈥檚 near party-line 230-199 vote was the latest instance of conspiracy theories becoming pitched political battlefields, an increasingly familiar occurrence during Donald Trump鈥檚 presidency. He faces a Senate trial next week for his House impeachment for inciting insurrection after a mob he fueled with his false narrative of a stolen election attacked the Capitol.
Thursday鈥檚 fight also underscored the uproar and political complexities that Greene 鈥� a master of provoking Democrats, promoting herself and raising campaign money 鈥� has prompted since becoming a House candidate last year.
Eleven Republicans joined 219 Democrats in backing Greene's ejection from her committees, while 199 GOP lawmakers voted 鈥渘o.鈥�
Addressing her colleagues, Greene tried to dissociate herself from her 鈥渨ords of the past.鈥� Contradicting past social media posts, she said she believes the
But she didn鈥檛 explicitly apologize for supportive online remarks she鈥檚 made on other subjects, as when she mulled about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi being assassinated or the possibility of Jewish-controlled space rays causing wildfires. And she portrayed herself as the victim of unscrupulous 鈥渂ig media companies.鈥�
News organizations 鈥渃an take teeny, tiny pieces of words that I鈥檝e said, that you have said, any of us, and can portray us as someone that we鈥檙e not,鈥� she said. She added that 鈥渨e鈥檙e in a real big problem鈥� if the House punished her but tolerated 鈥渕embers that condone riots that have hurt American people鈥� 鈥� a clear reference to last summer鈥檚 social justice protests that in some instances became violent.
Greene was on the Education and Labor committee and the Budget committee. Democrats were especially aghast about her assignment to the education panel, considering the past doubt she cast on school shootings in Florida and Connecticut.
The political imperative for Democrats was clear: Greene鈥檚 support for violence and fictions were dangerous and merited punishment. Democrats and researchers said there was no apparent precedent for the full House removing a lawmaker from a committee, a step usually taken by their party leaders.
The calculation was more complicated for Republicans.
Though Trump left the White House two week ago, his devoted followers are numerous among the party鈥檚 voters, and he and Greene are allies. Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., hopes GOP victories in the 2022 elections will make him speaker. Republicans could undermine that scenario by alienating Trump鈥檚 and Greene鈥檚 passionate supporters, and McCarthy took no action to punish her.
鈥淚f any of our members threatened the safety of other members, we鈥檇 be the first ones to take them off a committee,鈥� Pelosi angrily told reporters. She said she was 鈥減rofoundly concerned鈥� about GOP leaders鈥� acceptance of an 鈥渆xtreme conspiracy theorist.鈥�
At one point, No. 2 Democratic leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland strode to the GOP side of the chamber carrying a poster of a Greene Facebook post from last year. 鈥淪quad's Worst Nightmare,鈥� Greene had written in the post, which showed her holding an AR-15 firearm next to pictures of three of the four Democratic lawmakers, all young women of
鈥淭hey are people. They are our colleagues,鈥� Hoyer said. He mimicked Greene's pose holding the weapon and said, 鈥淚 have never, ever seen that before."
Republicans tread carefully but found rallying points.
McCarthy said Greene鈥檚 past opinions 鈥渄o not represent the views of my party.鈥� But without naming the offenders, he said Pelosi hadn鈥檛 stripped committee memberships from Democrats who became embroiled in controversy. Among those he implicated was Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who made anti-Israel insults for which she later apologized.
鈥淚f that鈥檚 the new standard,鈥� he said of Democrats鈥� move against Greene, 鈥渨e have a long list.鈥�
Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., said Democrats were setting a precedent by punishing lawmakers for statements made before they were even candidates for Congress. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, warned, 鈥淵ou engage in wrong-speak, you鈥檙e in the Thunderdome,鈥� a term for an enclosed wrestling arena.
Committee assignments are crucial for lawmakers for shaping legislation affecting their districts, creating a national reputation and raising campaign contributions. Even social media stars like Greene could find it harder to define themselves without the spotlights that committees provide.
Not all Republicans were in forgiving moods, especially in the Senate. There, fringe GOP candidates have lost winnable races in recent years and leaders worry a continued linkage with Trump and conspiracists will inflict more damage.
That chamber鈥檚 minority leader, Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., this week called Greene鈥檚 words a 鈥渃ancer鈥� on the GOP and country. On Thursday, No. 2 Senate GOP leader John Thune of South Dakota amplified that thinking.
Thune said House Republicans needed to issue a 鈥渞eally strong鈥� rebuke of Greene鈥檚 conspiratorial formulations. Republicans must 鈥済et away from members dabbling in conspiracy theories,鈥� Thune said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think that鈥檚 a productive course of action or one that鈥檚 going to lead to much prosperity politically in the future.鈥�
The fight came a day after Republicans resolved another battle and voted to keep Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., in their leadership. Pro-Trump conservatives tried removing her because she supported Trump's impeachment.
The House resolution punishing Greene was barely over a page. It said House rules require lawmakers鈥�
News organizations have unearthed countless social media videos and 鈥渓ikes鈥� in which Greene embraced absurd theories like suspicions that Hillary Clinton was behind the 1999 death of John F. Kennedy Jr. Greene responded, 鈥淪tage is being set,鈥� when someone posted a question about hanging Clinton and former President Barack Obama.
Alan Fram And Brian Slodysko, The Associated Press
