Legislators call for QAnon representative’s expulsion from US House

Some US legislators are calling for the removal of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene following revelations about past activity on social media endorsing conspiracies that a school shootings shootings were “false flag” events and calling for violence against Democratic politicians.

The Democrats leader in the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said at a Thursday news conference she was “concerned” about Republican leadership “who was willing to overlook, ignore those statements. Assigning her to the Education Committee, when she has mocked the killing of little children at Sandy Hook Elementary School. When she has mocked the killing of teenagers in high school, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.”

Republicans announced on Tuesday Greene will be part of the House Education Committee, prompting criticism from Democrats.

Congressman Jimmy Gomez, a California Democrat, announced on Tuesday he will introduce a resolution to expel Greene from Congress.

“As if it weren’t enough to amplify conspiracy theories … a string of recent media reports has now confirmed that Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene had previously supported social media posts calling for political violence against the Speaker of the House, members of Congress, and former President Barack Obama,” Gomez said in a release.

Greene, a first-term Georgia representative, has faced controversy over her expressed support for the QAnon conspiracy theory since her 2019 campaign.

The theory is based on unfounded claims of interdimensional demons – or psychic vampires, depending on the adherent – are working with a cabal of liberal celebrities and policymakers to traffic children. According to the theory, former President Donald Trump was chosen to defeat this cabal.

Greene has been a staunch supporter of Trump, fighting Democrats on issues from impeachment votes to the installation of metal detectors at the door of the House chamber following the January 6 pro-Trump riot at the Capitol.

Trump faces an historic second impeachment over allegedly inciting the riot during a speech with a Senate trial scheduled to begin February 9.

Greene’s controversies continued when news reports and media watchdog Media Matters published last week previously unreported posts that claimed the 2018 shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which killed 17 people and injured 17 more, was meant to inspire anti-gun legislation.

“I am told that Nancy Pelosi tells Hillary Clinton several times a month that ‘we need another school shooting’ in order to persuade the public to want strict gun control,” Greene said in a Facebook post, according to Media Matters.

David Hogg, a survivor of the shooting who now advocates for gun control and has been confronted by Greene in the past, said it is “horrific” an elected official would make such comments.

1/2 As we fight for peace we also face massive amounts of death threats and armed intimidation simply for not wanting our friends to die anymore.

This is not the country we should be and it’s not the country we have to be.

— David Hogg (He / Him) (@davidhogg111) January 28, 2021

 

“As we fight for peace we also face massive amounts of death threats and armed intimidation simply for not wanting our friends to die anymore,” Hogg said on Twitter.

Greene also appeared to like a post in 2018 which said “a bullet to the head would be quicker” to remove Pelosi, according to CNN.

Greene also wrote conspiracies about the Obama administration’s landmark Iran nuclear deal, and a commenter asked: “Now do we get to hang them ??” referring to Obama and Clinton.

“Stage is being set. Players are being put in place. We must be patient. This must be done perfectly or liberal judges would let them off,” Greene replied.

Greene posted a personal statement on Twitter that did not deny she liked the Facebook posts but said numerous people had controlled her social media accounts over the years.

Fake News CNN is writing yet another hit piece on me focused on my time before running for political office.

I will never back down to the enemy of the American people and neither should you. pic.twitter.com/K3JuvqrDGS

— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) January 26, 2021

Gomez is not the first legislators to call for her removal. Representative Jason Crow, a Democrat from Colorado, previously told CNN on January 13: “We’re looking at our options within the House as to how we stop this. And whether this is an expulsion proceeding, a censure, we can’t let this stand.”

Expulsion from the House requires a two-thirds majority vote in the 435-seat chamber. Democrats currently occupy 221 seats.

It remains unclear whether enough Republicans would join their Democratic colleagues to expel Greene.