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- Democrats are taking action to strip Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of her committee assignments.
- Politico reports that Democratic leaders are set to give their GOP colleagues an ultimatum.
- Greene’s embrace of dangerous conspiracy theories has rankled her colleagues.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
House Democrats are giving their Republican colleagues an ultimatum on controversial Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, allowing them 72 hours to take action on stripping her committee assignments before they do so, Politico reported Monday.
Greene, a Republican from Georgia’s 14th District, has roile colleagues on both sides of the aisle by openly embracing dangerous conspiracy theories and refusing to properly wear a face mask around other members. On Friday, Democratic Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri announced she was moving offices out of the Longworth building to get away from Greene after she said Greene and her staff harassed her in a hallway.
While House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said he plans to have “a conversation” with Greene, he’s expressed no indication that he’ll materially punish her.
Politico said that if Republican leaders refuse to take action within 72 hours, Democrats are prepared to bring motions in both the Rules Committee and to the House floor to strip Greene of her assignments on the House Committee on Education and Labor and the House Budget Committee.
Democratic lawmakers aren't ruling out further consequences beyond that, with some also preparing motions to censure and even expel Greene, Politico reported.
In the 116th Congress, removal of committee assignments was used as a punishment for former GOP Rep. Steve King who made racist and xenophobic comments for years, and two Republican members, and Reps. Chris Collins and Duncan Hunter, who were indicted on federal charges. Both resigned from Congress after pleading guilty to federal crimes and were later pardoned by former President Donald Trump.
In the past two weeks, news reports from CNN and Media Matters revealed Greene had supported a number of disturbing conspiracy theories on social media before being elected to Congress.
The reports found that Greene endorsed conspiracy theories that the Sandy Hook and Parkland, Florida school shootings were hoaxes and false flags, suggested that top Democrats including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi should be executed, supported the "Frazzledrip" conspiracy that Hillary Clinton and her aide Huma Abedin had sacrificed a child to drink its blood and wear its face as a mask, and floated an anti-Semitic theory that the deadly 2018 wildfires in California were caused by the Rothschild Inc.-linked laser from outer space.
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