WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene committed “verbal assault and abuse” against a Democratic lawmaker that may have violated ethics rules of the U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday.
The Washington Post reported that two of its reporters witnessed Greene confronting Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez following a House vote on Wednesday last week.
Greene already has been sanctioned by the House for making incendiary remarks including violence against Democrats.
The Washington Post said Greene accused Ocasio-Cortez of supporting “terrorists,” leading the New York congresswoman’s office to call on the leadership to ensure that Congress remains “a safe, civil place for all members and staff.”
According to the Post, two of its reporters witnessed Ocasio-Cortez exit the House chamber late Wednesday afternoon ahead of Greene, who shouted “Hey Alexandria” twice in an effort to get her attention. When Ocasio-Cortez did not stop walking, Greene picked up her pace and began shouting at her and asking why she supports antifa, a loosely knit group of far-left activists, and Black Lives Matter, labeling them “terrorist” groups. Greene also shouted that Ocasio-Cortez was failing to defend her “radical socialist” beliefs by declining to publicly debate the freshman from Georgia.
“You don’t care about the American people,” Greene shouted. “Why do you support terrorists and antifa?”
The Post said Ocasio-Cortez did not stop to answer Greene, only turning around once and throwing her hands in the air in an exasperated motion. The two Post reporters were not close enough to hear what the New York congresswoman said, and her office declined to discuss her specific response.
“I think what was reported to our office about what happened as members were leaving the floor yesterday, the verbal assault and abuse of our colleague, Congresswoman AOC,” Pelosi told reporters at her weekly press conference.
With tensions already high in the U.S. Capitol following the deadly Jan. 6 attack by supporters of former President Donald Trump, Pelosi said Greene’s behavior was “beneath the dignity of a person serving in the Congress of the United States and is a cause for trauma and fear among members.”
Asked to comment on the incident, a Greene spokesman referred Reuters to a Greene tweet in which she wrote that the House Ethics Committee should investigate Ocasio-Cortez for placing Trump administration officials “on lists to destroy their lives and prevent future employment.”
In early February, the House voted to remove Greene from two high-profile committees because of remarks she had made that included support for violence against Democrats.
Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is interviewed during an “America First” rally in The Villages, Florida on May 7, 2021.
REUTERS
