Two Washington Post reporters witnessed Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) follow Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Ny.) and violently ask Ocasio-Cortez why she supports Antifa and Black Lives Matter (BLM.)
What We Know:
- Late Wednesday afternoon, Greene walked behind Ocasio-Cortez and called her name twice to get her attention. When Ocasio-Cortez did not stop walking, Greene moved faster and started shouting at her. Alongside claiming Ocasio-Cortez supported “terrorists,” Greene stated the New York representative failed to defend her “radical socialist” beliefs by not publicly debating the Georgia freshman.
- The Washington Post reporters said Ocasio-Cortez only turned around once and threw her hands in the air exasperatingly. They also reported they were not close enough to hear what the congressman said. When the journalists asked for her specific response, Ocasio-Cortez’s office refused to discuss the altercation.
- Greene informed a small group of reporters and onlookers that she instigated the dispute to “hold Democrats accountable for their policy proposals.”
“These members are cowards. They need to defend their legislation to the people. That’s pathetic,” she said.
- Moreover, Greene continued antagonizing via Twitter. She tweeted that AOC was a fraud and a hypocrite for not discussing the Green New Deal and for calling figures.
- Despite only being a member of Congress for a few months, Greene holds a controversial reputation for her extremist statements. For example, she called Black people “slaves” to the Democratic Party and believed Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) represented a governmental Islamic Invasion. Her comments motivated the Democrats’ vote to strip her of her assignments in the Education and Labor, and Budget Committees, earlier this year.
- A spokeswoman from AOC’s office, Lauren Hitt, released a statement on behalf of the representative. In the document, she recapped the events and informed the public that Greene branded AOC as a “terrorist sympathizer.” In addition, Hitt wrote she hopes leadership and the Sergeant at Arms will take initiatives to keep Congress “a safe, civil place for all Members and staff — especially as many offices are discussing reopening.” She furthermore reminded readers that Greene’s actions already forced one Member to relocate her office.
While AOC still has not made a public response to Greene’s behavior, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi defended the member of her party. She declared Greene committed “verbal assault” during a weekly press conference and continued to say her conduct may require an investigation by the House Ethics Committee.
