In the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol Riots, Congress has been working to present a strong stance against possible misinformation and security flaws within the building. However, to many, it seems like Georgia’s freshman Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene is running counter to these priorities. 

On Feb. 4, the House of Representatives voted to remove Greene’s committee assignments, which included a place on the panel of the education and budget committees. 11 Republicans joined Democrats in the vote, which happened after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy released a statement condemning her statements but made no moves for disciplinary action. 

Greene has, as recently as 2019, endorsed conspiracy theories and calls for violence against Democratic leadership. Most notably she has mocked a survivor of a school shooting and stated that she believed that the 2012 Sandy Hook and 2018 Parkland school shootings were faked. She also implied that the 9/11 terrorist attack against the Pentagon was faked as well. 

Greene was an outspoken QAnon supporter in the past. QAnon is a far-right conspiracy theory group that believes former President Trump was secretly fighting a war against elites high up in the government. The group is tied closely with anti-Semitism, racism, and white supremacy. However, at the hearing over the resolution, she retracted a few of her previous statements. 

“School shootings are absolutely real,” said Greene. “I want to tell you 9/11 absolutely happened.”

For many members, this disavowal of QAnon and past actions came too late. Greene has been responsible for spreading misinformation and popularizing right-wing QAnon conspiracy theories as recently as July 2020. She also did not fully retract past comments, as she did not acknowledge that she had liked a post advocating for the assassination of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. 

At the hearing, Maryland Representative Steny Hoyer presented the assembly with an image of one of Greene’s campaign advertisements. It showed her holding an assault rifle in front of images of Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib, with a caption stating “Squad’s Worst Nightmare.” Hoyer urged colleagues to condemn these actions. 

Despite the support of some Republican House members, there was still backlash to the resolution. According to The New York Times, Thursday’s resolution was unprecedented as it is the first time in modern history that an opposition party member has been removed from their committees by the majority. Republicans seem split as to whether they should continue to stand behind Greene; however, they have made clear that they do not want this move to become commonplace. 

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