Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene: I Stopped Believing QAnon In 2018—Media Is ‘Just As Guilty’
Topline
In remarks on the floor ahead of a House vote to strip her of committee assignments, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) disavowed her past support for QAnon—but did not apologize—before equating the media with the crackpot conspiracy theory.
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Key Facts
“These were words of the past and these things do not represent me,” Greene said of her past embrace of the conspiracy theory, claiming she stopped believing in QAnon in 2018 when she found out its followers were spreading “misinformation.”
As recently as December 4, 2020, Greene, in a since-deleted tweet, promoted an article about the conspiracy theory—which referred to QAnon as a “refreshing and objective flow of information”—calling it “accurate.”
The closest Greene came to disavowing QAnon before Thursday was in August, when she told Fox News she “chose another path” after, predictably, finding holes in the conspiracy theory.
Greene asked her colleagues to brush aside her past remarks—including her support for other conspiracy theories about the 9/11 terrorist attacks and school shootings—before declaring the media was “just as guilty as QAnon” for “presenting truth and lies to divide us.”
“I also want to tell you that 9/11 absolutely happened,” Greene said, as she then acknowledged another obvious reality: “School shootings are absolutely real.”
As recently as December 2020, Greene declined a chance to outright reject QAnon, telling CNN she doesn’t “think there’s anything wrong with people looking things up and not believing things in the news.”
Crucial Quote
“I never once said during my entire campaign, QAnon,” Greene said. “I never once said any of the things that I am being accused of today during my campaign. I never said any of these things since I have been elected for Congress.”
Key Background
Greene’s embrace of QAnon helped her gain a large social media following last year, and eventually earn the praise of former President Donald Trump, who once referred to her as a “future Republican star.” The Georgia congresswoman has spread QAnon ideas countless times and once referred to Q as a “patriot” in a 2017 YouTube clip. Since gaining notoriety, Greene has faced backlash over other conspiracy theories she has spread: the congresswoman once suggested the Parkland and Sandy Hook school shootings were “false flag” events staged by actors, and the California wildfires were started by Jewish “space lasers.” Last month, CNN’s KFILE dug up old Facebook comments in which Greene called for high-profile Democrats to be executed and in June 2020, Politico unearthed a clip of the congresswoman suggesting Muslims do not belong in government. Greene has since claimed some bigoted remarks were posted by other people running her Facebook account. On Wednesday, during a private meeting with the GOP House caucus, Greene reportedly told her colleagues embracing QAnon was a mistake that happened at a dark period in her life, according to Politico.
Chief Critic
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) tore into Greene on the House floor minutes after she spoke, saying, “I did not hear an apology or denouncement for the claim, the insinuation that political opponents should be violently dealt with.”
What To Watch For
The House is moving to pass a resolution removing Greene from two committees on Thursday evening, though it’s unclear how many Republicans will back the effort. House GOP leadership is actively lobbying against removing Greene from committees, even as they denounce Greene’s past violent and bigoted comments “unequivocally.”
Further Reading
Marjorie Taylor Greene Rakes In Cash As Democrats Look To Oust Her From Committees (Forbes)
Republicans Disown Greene’s Comments Even While Fighting Her Removal From Committees (Forbes)
McConnell: Marjorie Taylor Greene’s ‘Loony’ Conspiracy Theories Are ‘Cancer’ To Republicans (Forbes)
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