Marjorie Taylor Greene Supported Conspiracy Theory That Parkland Massacre Was ‘False Flag Planned Shooting’
Topline
Unearthed Facebook posts from 2018 show U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) touting wild, false conspiracy theories around the Parkland High School shooting, in the latest instance of the freshman representative either currently or in her past promoting baseless allegations around U.S. events.
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) shouts at journalists as she goes through security outside … [+]
AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
On May 15, 2018, Greene shared a Fox News article questioning why an officer who didn’t enter the high school during the massacre was continuing to get paid, saying “WHAT is going on in Parkland, Fla???”
Greene in multiple comments agreed with baseless conspiracy theories that the officer was involved in an inside job, in one instance replying to the comment “It’s called a pay off to keep his mouth shut since it was a false flag planned shooting” with “Exactly.”
The posts were first publicized by the left-leaning Media Matters for America group Tuesday, and Greene could not be reached for comment by Forbes.
Key Background
Seventeen students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School died in a mass shooting on Feb. 14, 2018, leading to a widespread push for tighter gun restrictions in the United States that has so far not garnered significant action from Congress. The shooting also led to a disinformation campaign among conspiracy theorists, who pushed false ideas like saying the shooting never happened or that students at the school were crisis actors. Greene has continually promoted conspiracy theories through the years, and is perhaps best known for becoming the first backer of QAnon to win a seat in Congress. She has continued to promote baseless allegations during her brief time in office so far, even accusing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) of knowingly spreading Covid among House members. She also was one of the leading House voices in support of overturning the presidential election results by blocking certification of some states President-elect Joe Biden won. On Sunday, Twitter suspended Greene’s account for 12 hours after “multiple violations” of Twitter’s “civic integrity policy.”
Chief Critics
Greene’s antics have drawn heat from Democratic and Republican colleagues alike. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), for instance, blasted Greene in November, telling her that she was an incoming member of Congress and should “start acting like one” after her Twitter feed became a stream of disinformation around election results. Republican leadership in Congress did not support Greene in the party’s primary for her Congressional seat, in Georgia’s 14th District.
Further Reading
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Facebook in 2018: Parkland school shooting was a false flag planned event (Media Matters for America)
QAnon-Supporting Candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene Wins Congress Seat (Forbes)
QAnon Enthusiast Marjorie Taylor Greene Has A New Conspiracy Theory About Nancy Pelosi (Refinery29)
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Suspended From Twitter After Harassing Georgia Election Official (Forbes)
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