Psaki Says Commenting on Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Behavior Would “Elevate Conspiracy Theories”

Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 02:50 pm

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki declined to comment on Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) or her behavior because to do so would “elevate conspiracy theories.”

“We don’t want to elevate conspiracy theories further in the briefing room,” Psaki said.

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Psaki’s remarks come after Greene came under fire for inflammatory social media posts in which she endorsed conspiracy theories and called for executing prominent Democrats. The posts were written before Greene ran for Congress.

Greene characterized the news coverage as “fake news.”

“I will never back down to the enemy of the American people and neither should you,” she wrote in a statement published to her official Twitter account.

Greene found herself in the crosshairs of further controversy this week when a video of her heckling Parkland shooting survivor and gun control activist David Hogg resurfaced and went viral.

“Why are you using kids as a barrier? Do you not know how to defend your stance? Look, I’m an American citizen. I’m a gun owner. I have a concealed carry permit, I carry a gun for protection for myself. And you are using your lobby and the money behind it and the kids to try to take away my Second Amendment rights. You don’t have anything to say for yourself? You can’t defend your stance?” Greene asks Hogg in the video even as he ignores her.

Earlier this week, Representative Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) announced he would introduce a resolution to expel Greene from the House.

“As if it weren’t enough to amplify conspiracy theories that the September 11 attacks were an inside job and the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was staged, a string of recent media reports has now confirmed that Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene had previously supported social media posts calling for political violence against the Speaker of the House, members of Congress, and former President Barack Obama,” Gomez said in a statement.

“Such advocacy for extremism and sedition not only demands her immediate expulsion from Congress, but it also merits strong and clear condemnation from all of her Republican colleagues, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Her very presence in office represents a direct threat against the elected officials and staff who serve our government, and it is with their safety in mind, as well as the security of institutions and public servants across our country, that I call on my House colleagues to support my resolution to immediately remove Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene from this legislative body,” he added.

Alan Herrera

Alan is a writer, editor, and news junkie based in New York.