Trump-Backed Candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene Promotes 9/11 Conspiracy Theory
TOPLINE
Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Trump-endorsed small business woman and adherent of the unfounded QAnon conspiracy theory running as the GOP nominee for a safely Republican U.S. House seat in Georgia, espoused a 9/11 conspiracy theory in a 2018 interview.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
KEY FACTS
Shortly after finishing first in the GOP primary in Georgia’s 14th District in June, Greene was denounced by Republican House leaders for Facebook videos, unearthed by Politico, in which she warns of an “Islamic invasion” of the U.S. and compares Black Lives Matter activists to the KKK.
Greene is also a believer of the QAnon conspiracy theory, which posits that President Trump is working to thwart a group of liberal politicians, government workers and celebrities who are operating a sex trafficking ring.
The Republican establishment embraced Greene after she won the GOP nomination on Tuesday, with Trump calling her a “future Republican star” and saying she is “strong on everything,” and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)’s office saying they “look forward” to her victory in November.
A newly unearthed video from 2018, first reported by Media Matters, shows Greene repeating debunked claims about the September 11th attacks, a common subject of fringe conspiracy theories.
Greene refers to the hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 as “the so-called plane that crashed into the Pentagon,” adding “It’s odd there’s never any evidence shown for a plane in the Pentagon,” despite video evidence that confirms the flight did hit the Pentagon.
Forbes has reached out to the Trump campaign and McCarthy’s office for comment on Greene’s remarks.
Key Background
Greene is far from the only QAnon-friendly candidate running for office. Vocal QAnon acolyte Jo Rae Perkins won the GOP nomination for a U.S. Senate seat in Oregon in May. In June, Lauren Boebert – who said of the theory, “Everything I’ve heard of Q, I hope this is real” – unseated Rep. Scott Tipton (R-Colo.) in the GOP primary in Colorado’s 3rd district.
Surprising Fact
Trump campaign deputy communications director Matt Wolking tore into Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) after the latter called QAnon a “fabrication” and said it “could be Russian propaganda.” Wolking tweeted, “When will @RepKinzinger condemn the Steele Dossier fabrications and conspiracy theories pushed by Democrats? That actually WAS Russian propaganda.”
Big Number
14. There are at least 14 candidates running for office confirmed by Forbes to have expressed belief in QAnon.
Chief Critic
The FBI has labelled QAnon a domestic terrorist threat, according to a report from Yahoo News. A document from the Bureau’s Phoenix field office reportedly describes “conspiracy theory-driven domestic extremists,” as a growing danger, specifically referencing QAnon.
What To Watch For
Greene is all but certain to become a member of Congress. Georgia’s 14th district, located in the rural northwestern corner of the state, is overwhelmingly Republican, having given Trump 75% in 2016 to Hillary Clinton’s 22%.
