David Cicilline
US Rep. David Cicilline, the Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law, speaks during the big tech antitrust hearing on in Washington, DC on July 29, 2020.
Graeme Jennings/Pool via Reuters

  • Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene called a Rhode Island lawmaker who is Italian and Jewish, "Rep. Mussolini."
  • Greene directed the comment toward Rep. David Cicilline after he said he wanted Greene to stop delaying House votes.
  • Cicilline responded by denouncing Mussolini and saying Greene "can get lost."
  • See more stories on Insider's business page.

Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island hit back at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene after she referred to him as "Rep. Mussolini," a reference to the Italian fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini.

Cicilline, a Democrat, tweeted a response Wednesday, denouncing Mussolini as well as Greene.

"Mussolini was a fascist dictator in league with Adolf Hitler, who murdered six million Jews," Cicilline said. "Marjorie Taylor Greene can get lost."

Greene's reference to Mussolini came in response to Cicilline telling reporters he would propose a rule change to stop the Georgia Republican from delaying votes in the House simply because she didn't like a bill. The chamber passed President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion stimulus package on Wednesday, with every Republican opposing the bill.

Greene tried to delay the bill's passage by making a motion to adjourn, which would have required every lawmaker to come to the floor and vote on whether to remain in session. All Democrats and 40 Republicans voted against her motion, so the adjournment did not take place, but her attempt delayed the House proceedings for about an hour.

It is not the first time Greene has used such tactics to put off voting on legislation she does not support.

Cicilline said after the Wednesday incident he wanted to stop Greene from doing so by proposing a rule change that would only allow members on a committee to motion to adjourn, Newsweek reported.

When asked about Cicilline's plan, Greene referred to the congressman as the Italian dictator.

"Do you mean Rep. Mussolini? Not only did Democrats unilaterally strip away my committees, now they want to remove any powers I have to represent my district," Greene told Newsweek. "The Democrats run the House of Hypocrites with tyrannical control."

Greene was stripped of her committee assignments last month after reports revealed she had expressed public support online for violence against Democrats, including former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

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