Ryan Nicol
Democratic Reps. Ted Deutch and Debbie Wasserman Schultz are moving forward with a resolution stripping Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene‘s committee assignments over her support for Parkland shooting conspiracy theories and other reckless remarks.
The two Democratic lawmakers floated such a move late last week. In a follow-up Zoom conference Monday morning, Wasserman Schultz said she would introduce that resolution Monday, with support from Deutch.
“This is not idle political chatter,” Wasserman Schultz said of Greene’s comments. “After Jan. 6, we know what can happen when elected officials amplify dangerous lies and encourage violence.”
Greene backs the QAnon theory, has supported — before later retracting — the conspiracy theory that 9/11 was an inside job, and voiced support for executing elected Democratic officials.
She has also backed lies that the 2018 Parkland shooting was a planned, “false flag” event. Video that reemerged last week showed her harassing Parkland survivor David Hogg over his gun control advocacy and labeling him a “coward” after he refused to respond to her berating.
Most of her comments occurred before Greene ran for and won a Georgia congressional seat. She has refused to apologize, calling criticism of her own words and actions on video an attack from a “left-wing mob.”
As her past remarks were emerging, House Republicans placed Greene on the Education and Labor Committee and the Budget Committee.
“Her refusal to disavow these outrageous claims cannot be rewarded with a post on an Education Committee whose mandate is to provide a safe, fact-based learning environment for our children,” Wasserman Schultz argued.
Deutch added that Republicans should speak up to condemn Greene as well.
“The question, quite simply, is whether they will draw the line when a member of the Republican caucus moves far beyond political rhetoric and into what is extremely dangerous misinformation, deeply offensive harassment and the refusal to acknowledge truth.”
Fred Guttenberg — whose daughter, Jaime, was killed in the Feb. 2018 shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School — also joined Monday’s call pushing for Greene to be punished. Like Hogg, Guttenberg has become a vocal advocate for stricter gun control, earning the ire of Greene and her supporters.
“I am not a part of a left-wing mob. I am a dad,” Guttenberg said.
“I’m calling on her to make a public statement disowning everything that she has previously said, acknowledging the lies. She owes it to this country. She owes it to every single person, like my family, that she has hurt.”
Many have pushed for Greene to be expelled from the House altogether over her previous remarks. That would require a two-thirds vote, requiring cooperation from a large chunk of her GOP colleagues. In the past, the House has also been reticent to expel members for conduct prior to taking office, opting to defer to a district’s constituents. Wasserman Schultz said Monday that effort isn’t likely to succeed.
House committee assignments, however, are set by House members. Wasserman Schultz explained why she felt her resolution was the best course of action absent Republican leadership removing Greene from those committees on their own.
“Based on her actions and statements, and her belligerent refusal to disavow them, she should not be permitted to participate in the important work of these two influential committees,” Wasserman Schultz said. “If she had honor, of course, she would resign. If she possessed shame, censure and an apology might suffice.”
Democratic Rep. Jahana Hayes of Connecticut — who represents Newtown, the site of another horrific school shooting — also spoke Monday on behalf of her constituents. Greene has similarly backed the idea that the Sandy Hook shooting was staged.
“I’m just stunned that the need is even there for us to continue to have this conversation,” Hayes said. She then turned to the impact of conspiracy theories — such as those pushed by conspiratorial media personality Alex Jones — about the Sandy Hook families.
“I’ve watched these families ignore Alex Jones for years, thinking that it would go away. And it just got bigger and bigger, and gained more traction, to the point that they were almost broken.”
One comment
Mark Canfield
February 1, 2021 at 1:07 pm
DAVID HOGG stated clearly in a taped press conference with three ACTUAL survivors days after the shootings, that he was HOME when he got word of shots fired at his school. That interview video can be seen on YOU TUBE under … ” David Hogg LIED about being on campus day of shooting”. In that interview, he had to tell the truth, because the three survivors sitting behind him, KNEW he was at home. David Hogg stated that , “I was at home when I heard about the shootings, I grabbed my camera and rode the three miles to school on my bike, to interview as many kids as possible. ” Unfortunately for him, as with all liars, he forgot he gave a TV interview the afternoon of the tragedy on campus, lying that he was IN HIS CLASS when shots rang out! By lying to the TV reporter , Hogg deliberately inserted himself into THE STORY, declaring he was “in his class “, which was later discovered to be a lie by the MSD FDLE Investigation . Hogg looked into the camera with his best brave sincere face and said , that when he heard the shots “we ran for our lives “! Is there anything more disgusting than a liar and fake hero who steals the valor of teenagers that died in that school, while David Hogg was HOME miles away, by HIS OWN admission ? If he begins his lobbying career with a proven lie, can anyone ever trust him again? Let’s hear which story is the LIE David and which story is the TRUTH under oath.
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