Marjorie Taylor Greene called an “antivax conspiracy theorist” to her face in hearing outburst
Out gay Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) accused anti-LGBTQ+ Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) of being an “anti-vax conspiracy theorists” during a recent House Oversight Committee hearing.
During the hearing, Garcia criticized Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., saying, “RFK Jr. has said that 5G and Wi-Fi can cause brain damage, ADHD, radiation sickness. He’s said that pesticides are actually turning people transgender. He’s even questioned whether HIV causes AIDS,” Raw Story reported.
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Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) said the idea is “as stupid as it sounds.”
Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) responded by claiming that Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) had previously accused Republicans of being “conspiracy terrorists” when GOP politicians accused a Wuhan, China laboratory of being the source of the COVID-19 and now-former President Joe Biden of being in mental decline. In January, the CIA said it believed “with low confidence” that COVID-19 began in a Chinese lab, and Biden dropped out from his 2024 re-election campaign after a stammering debate performance that dismayed many Democratic voters.
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“Conspiracy theories are in the eyes of the beholder,” Comer added.
When Garcia wondered aloud if Comer supports the measles vaccine, Comer responded, “All my children are vaccinated.” Garcia then said, “And again, our current HHS secretary is an anti-vax conspiracy theorist, and that is a fact. He caused a measles outbreak in another country.”
Garcia was referring to a 2019 measles outbreak in the island country of Samoa that killed 83 people and was, according to the country’s top health official, “emboldened” by Kennedy’s high-profile connection with anti-vaccination influencers. The country briefly suspended its vaccination program during Kennedy’s visit in 2019, though Kennedy said his visit had nothing to do with the outbreak. He also falsely claimed in a Senate hearing that “most of those people [who died] did not have measles,” the Associated Press reported.
When Greene argued that Kennedy didn’t start the outbreak, Garcia said, “He absolutely did.”
“That’s a lie!” Greene replied. “RFK did not cause a measles outbreak.”
“You are an anti-vax conspiracy theorist yourself,” Garcia told her.
Greene responded, “No, I’m for choice. I’m for parents and people choosing.”
Garcia is correct about Greene.
This month, Greene said that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should rescind its approval for the COVID-19 vaccines because the shots “are causing permanent harm and deaths.”
While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said that the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccinations can inflame heart tissue in some recipients, Greene has baselessly claimed that the vaccines “cause cancer.” She has also claimed that “vaccines cause autism,” calling vaccinations “crimes against humanity.” Numerous medical experts have declared no link between vaccines and autism.
While Greene has boasted about being unvaccinated, she also owns stock in three major vaccine manufacturers.
This isn’t the first time that Garcia has clashed with Greene during a recent House committee hearing.
In February, Garcia said that he has “zero interest” in working with Greene, noting that she once used a congressional hearing to display a picture of genitals belonging to the son of Biden.
In the past, he has called Greene a “traitor” for treating January 6 insurrectionists like “heroes.” He also criticized Greene for refusing to call infectious diseases expert Dr. Anthony Fauci a “doctor.” He has also called Greene “insane.”
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