Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene reprimanded for harassing and disparaging witnesses

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is ruffling feathers and being reprimanded even by members of her own party for making disparaging and offensive comments to witnesses appearing before congressional committees. 

On Wednesday, Democratic lawmakers objected to comments Greene made to a witness at a hearing of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic that was focused on school closings. 

Greene told Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers union, that she is not a real mother because she is a stepparent. 

“Are you a mother?” Greene asked Weingarten, who replied that she is a “mother by marriage” as she’s a stepmother to her wife’s children from a previous marriage. 

“I see,” Greene replied. “People like you need to admit that you’re just a political activist, not a teacher, not a mother, and not a medical doctor.” 

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) responded: “The decorum of the attacks on the witness were unacceptable that the gentlelady from Georgia just did. And so it would be nice if we didn’t attack the witnesses, particularly making a decision about whether or not she is a mother. You are a mother. Thank you for being a great parent.” 

On April 19, Greene called Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas a liar and was then prevented by Mark Green of Tennessee, the Republican chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, from speaking for the rest of the committee’s hearing.

“It’s pretty clear that the rules state you can’t impugn someone’s character. Identifying or calling someone a liar is unacceptable in this committee, and I make the ruling that we strike those words,” said Green. When a member’s words are stricken from the record, that member is then barred from speaking.

Greene has only been back on House committees for a few months, since Speaker Kevin McCarthy reinstated her after Republicans reclaimed the majority in the 2022 midterms. 

She had been removed from serving on committees in 2021, when the Democratic-led Congress voted to strip her of her assignments for using antisemitic, Islamophobic, racist, and violent rhetoric.

Greene tweeted out a video of her attacks on Weingarten, misspelling her name.

“Here I question Randy Weingarten: not a doctor, not a mother, and not a teacher. Nothing but a political activist,” Greene tweeted. “She destroyed our children’s education with her unscientific guidelines to the CDC that forced our kids to stay home.”

And she criticized Republicans for allowing her to be silenced during the April 19 hearing.

“Republicans will never defeat the Democrats, we’ll never impeach Mayorkas, we’ll never impeach Biden, and we’ll never implement our conservative agenda if we can’t even call a liar a liar,” Greene tweeted. “Republicans should not let Democrats strike down our words and do their bidding for them.”

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.