Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene faces criticism after video of her confronting Parkland shooting survivor resurfaces
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a freshman Republican from Georgia, is facing mounting backlash after a video resurfaced showing her confronting Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg. On Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on Republican leadership to call out Greene for her comments.
Greene, who is known to support QAnon conspiracy theories, was seen in a clip following Hogg toward the Capitol and making false claims while asking him questions on gun rights. Hogg ignores Greene throughout the video. The footage, reportedly taken in 2019, was removed from Greene's Facebook account, but it was reposted on social media on various pages, including Hogg's Twitter account. Media Matters reported last week that Greene claimed the Parkland shooting was a "false flag" planned event.
When asked about her comments on Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blasted Republicans for not doing more to rebuke Greene and for putting her on the House Committee on Education and Labor.
"I think the focus has to be on Republican leadership of this House of Representatives for the disregard they have for the death of those children," Pelosi said, referring to the victims of the 2018 shooting at Majory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. Fourteen of the 17 people killed were students.
Hours earlier, Hogg discussed the video on CNN, saying, "It's just as I was told growing up, it's better not to respond to bullies and walk away."
Greene is also facing fierce criticism from colleagues for reportedly suggesting violence against prominent Democrats, including Pelosi. CNN reported Greene suggested in a now-deleted February 2019 video on Facebook that Pelosi should be executed for treason. A month earlier, she liked a comment that said "a bullet to the head would be quicker" to remove Pelosi.
Greene released a statement, saying "teams of people managed my pages" over the years and said "many posts have been liked." She also said some of the posts unearthed by the outlet "did not represent her views."
Senator Raphael Warnock, who represents the state of Georgia, said Greene's comments were "dangerous and unacceptable for a member of Congress."
"This extreme and violent rhetoric only fans the flames of division, and we've just seen how deadly those flames can be," he wrote on Twitter.
Rep. Jake Auchincloss, a Democrat from Massachusetts, called for Greene to resign in wake of her remarks.
"If she doesn't, Congress needs to expel her," he tweeted Wednesday. "If you don't understand that calling for the murder of political rivals is a threat to democracy, you shouldn't be allowed to represent one."
Florida Congressman Ted Deutch, who represents the district where the Parkland shooting occurred, also tweeted that she shouldn't have a platform – neither as a House committee member nor a member of Congress.
Rep. Jahana Hayes said that she's circulating a letter asking Republican leadership in the House to remove Greene from the education and labor committee. Hayes said that giving Greene a platform to "spread dangerous dogma, only normalizes this abhorrent behavior."
