Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (left), Rep. Liz Cheney.Photo: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images; Oliver Contreras/AP/Shutterstock
Divisive Georgia lawmakerMarjorie Taylor Greeneis again raising eyebrows for her behavior after getting into a verbal sparring match with fellow Republican Liz Cheney on the floor of the House of Representatives on Thursday.
CNNandThe Hillreport that the confrontation occurred during the vote to hold Trump ally Steve Bannon in contempt for failing to appear before a committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.
According to CNN, Greene, 47, could be heard speaking in a raised voice to Cheney, 55, and Maryland Democrat Jamie Raskin, both of whomvoted to impeachformer PresidentDonald Trumpfor his role in supporting the rioters.
“This is a joke,” said Greene, a fierce ally of Trump, later telling Raskin: “Why don’t you care about the American people?”
Raskin, 58, replied to Greene: “You represent the American people.”
CNN reports that Greene yelled “I never said that!” when Cheney mentioned the lasers.
Speakingto reportersafter the vote, Raskin summed up the interaction: “What [Greene] said to me was, ‘When are you going to do your investigation of the violence surrounding Black Lives Matter?’ And I said, ‘Like with Kyle Rittenhouse who went and killed two Black Lives Matter protesters? I’m sure there will be an opportunity for us to get to that.’ "
Raskin continued,according to reports: “I was just talking to Ms. Cheney and then she [Greene] started screaming,” adding: “I can’t remember exactly what she said. But they got into a back and forth about ‘Jewish space lasers.’ "
In a statement to PEOPLE, Greene said she was criticizing the Capitol riot investigation, which she denounced as a “witch hunt.”
“Democrat Liz Cheney and Russia hoaxer Adam Schiff were giggling together and patting each other on the back in the well of the House. I had to let them know that their [Jan. 6] witch hunt committee is an absolute joke,” she said.
“Congress only cares about Congress,” she continued, arguing that there should be more focus on alleged “ANTIFA domestic terrorists.” The investigation, she claimed, was “to punish their political enemies: the American People.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty
No stranger to controversy, Greene often makes headlines for her use of social media and for publicly arguing with those who share different views.
In July, Greene was temporarily suspended from Twitter after falsely claiming in one post thatCOVID-19is “not dangerous for non-obese people and those under 65” and in another post likening the vaccine rollout to “human experimentation.”
The social media giant said Greene’s statements violated its COVID-19misleading information policy, which states: “You may not use Twitter’s services to share false or misleading information about COVID-19 which may lead to harm.”
Greene also regularly quarrels with Rep.Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat and frequent critic of Trump and the Republican Party. The two have clashed face-to-face several times since Greene took office in January, includingan incidentat the Capitol in May where Green “aggressively” berated Ocasio-Cortez, 31, in front of reporters, according toThe Washington Post.
Before being elected to Congress, Greene was filmedpublicly badgeringa teenage school shooting survivor.
In one videoreportedly filmed in 2019Greene can be seen followingDavid Hogg, a survivor of the 2018 mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, who later became an activist for gun violence reform, as he walks outside near the Capitol.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.Erin Scott-Pool/Getty
Anothervideofilmed at an unclear date, which appears to be taken inside a government office building, shows Greene following Hogg and asking if he “really thinks red flag gun laws” will prevent mass shootings.
Hogg, now 20, does not engage with Greene in the footage.
source: people.com
