While GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia faced widespread criticism even before entering Congress this year for supporting conspiracy theories and expressing racist views, in light of reporting this week that she showed support on Facebook for executing prominent Democrats, two House freshmen are demanding her resignation.
Reps. Nikema Williams (D-Ga.) and Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) announced Friday that they will introduce a resolution next week to formally censure Greene and call for her resignation over the CNN report, which revealed that before taking office, Greene endorsed killing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), former President Barack Obama, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
In response to the reporting, Greene posted a long statement to Twitter, which said in part: “Over the years, I’ve had teams of people manage my pages. Many posts have been liked. Many posts have been shared. Some did not represent my views. Especially the ones that CNN is about to spread across the internet.”
Facing a flood of fresh criticism over that — plus a video of her harassing a teenage mass shooting victim in 2019 — Greene posted another statement to Twitter on Friday. She decried “the radical, left-wing Democrat mob and fake news media,” touted recent donations, and vowed to “never back down” and “never give up.”
Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), in a tweet, blasted Greene for trying to raise money on her past advocacy for “violence against American leaders,” declaring: “This is despicable and a person who behaves in such a manner has no place at all serving in Congress.”
Rather than take responsibility or apologize for advocating violence against American leaders, Greene is trying to raise money off of it.
This is despicable and a person who behaves in such a manner has no place at all serving in Congress. https://t.co/vruaHNPVib
— Rep. Don Beyer (@RepDonBeyer) January 29, 2021
Jacobs, in a statement about the forthcoming resolution, pointed to the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month while lawmakers were attempting to certify the Electoral College victory of President Joe Biden.
Along with some GOP lawmakers, former President Donald Trump stands accused of inciting the attack — which led to his historic second impeachment by the House earlier this month. The former president still faces a trial in the Senate, but Republicans have signaled they don’t intend to convict him.
“We saw on January 6th what can happen when elected leaders use their positions of public trust to encourage and incite violence,” said Jacobs. “Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has repeatedly demonstrated her support for the execution of leaders of the Democratic Party, and her presence in Congress is a threat to our democracy, our institutions, and the safety of every person who works in the Capitol.
“As someone with experience working in post-conflict settings,” Jacobs added, “I know that it is imperative that we act swiftly to hold her accountable, and I am proud to introduce this resolution with Congresswoman Williams.”
Williams, for her part, called Greene’s comments and actions “dangerous, unpatriotic, and a clear threat to every member of Congress.”
“It would be irresponsible for us to allow her to use the ‘People’s House’ as a platform to peddle discredited conspiracy theories that only fan the flames of hatred and violence,” she said. “This is the same rhetoric that provoked the lawlessness we saw during the January 6th domestic terrorist attack. We must do everything we can to prevent similar events from occurring ever again.”
“Congresswoman Greene should resign immediately,” Williams asserted, “to allow someone to fill her seat who believes in upholding the Constitution and the mission of this legislative body to serve all people, not harm them.”
.@RepNikema & I are introducing a resolution to condemn and censure Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and calling for her resignation. We saw what can happen when elected leaders use positions of public trust to encourage and incite violence and it’s imperative we hold her accountable.
— Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (@RepSaraJacobs) January 29, 2021
Jacobs and Williams’ resolution would require a majority vote in the Democrat-controlled House. Their announcement came after Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) on Wednesday announced he will introduce a resolution to expel Greene from the chamber — which would require support from dozens of Republicans.
Citing the CNN report, Gomez said in a statement that “such advocacy for extremism and sedition not only demands her immediate expulsion from Congress, but it also merits strong and clear condemnation from all of her Republican colleagues,” including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
“Her very presence in office represents a direct threat against the elected officials and staff who serve our government, and it is with their safety in mind, as well as the security of institutions and public servants across our country,” Gomez added, “that I call on my House colleagues to support my resolution to immediately remove Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene from this legislative body.”
Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) — who is sponsoring a resolution calling for the investigation and expulsion of GOP lawmakers who helped incite the Capitol attack — revealed Friday that following an altercation with Greene and the Georgia Republican’s staff earlier this month, she is relocating her office over safety concerns.
In the context of Greene’s support for executing Democratic politicians, Bush said, her “renewed, repeated antagonization of the movement for Black lives in the last month directed towards me personally is cause for serious concern.”