McCarthy Won’t Remove Greene from Committee Assignments

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) issued a statement on February 3 stating that although he condemns Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-Ga.) past social media posts, he doesn’t support removing her from her committee assignments.

Greene’s past social media comments have included accusing the Rothschild family of starting the 2018 California wildfires with a space laser, alleging that the 2018 Parkland shooting was a false flag operation and liking a post that called for executing Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

“Past comments from and endorsed by Marjorie Taylor Greene on school shootings, political violence, and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories do not represent the values or beliefs of the House Republican Conference,” McCarthy said. “I condemn those comments unequivocally. I condemned them in the past. I continue to condemn them today. This House condemned QAnon last Congress and continues to do so today.”

He added that after he met with Greene, she seemed to understand how she needs to hold herself to a “higher standard” as a member of Congress than she did as a private citizen. “I hold her to her word, as well as her actions going forward,” McCarthy said.

The House GOP leader then turned to the Democrats, accusing them of raising the temperature with their plan to vote on a resolution on February 4 stripping Greene from her committee assignments.

“While Democrats pursue a resolution on Congresswoman Greene, they continue to do nothing about Democrats serving on the Foreign Affairs Committee who have spread anti-Semitic tropes, Democrats on the House Intelligence and Homeland Security Committee compromised by Chinese spies, or the Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee who advocated for violence against public servants,” McCarthy said, referencing Representatives Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), respectively.

“In the end, this resolution continues to distract Congress, especially given the limited time that Speaker Pelosi and the Democrat leadership want the House to debate and work, on what it needs to focus on: getting Americans back to work, getting kids back to school, and providing vaccines to all Americans who need it.”

Pelosi responded with a statement accusing McCarthy of being “cowardly” and designated him as “(Q-CA),” an apparent reference to the QAnon conspiracy theories that Greene has supported in past social media posts.

“The House will continue with a vote to strip Greene of her seat on the esteemed House Committee on Education & Labor and House Committee on Budget. McCarthy’s failure to lead his party effectively hands the keys over to Greene — an anti-Semite, QAnon adherent and 9/11 Truther,” the statement read.

Some Jewish Twitter users voiced displeasure with McCarthy’s statement.

“[Representative] Greene does not represent your values so…you went ahead and blamed Democrats and shifted your statement to indict them?” a user with the pseudonym Claire tweeted. “The party of personal responsibility is absolutely taking no damn responsibility for their own members.”

Damn. So Rep Greene does not represent your values so…you went ahead and blamed Democrats and shifted your statement to indict them?
The party of personal responsibility is absolutely taking no damn responsibility for their own members. https://t.co/hhgKT64CbT

— Claire (@Claire_V0ltaire) February 3, 2021

Israel-based writer Hen Mazzig also tweeted, “All the Republicans who are refusing to punish Marjorie Taylor Greene have no right to ever speak about antisemitism on the left again.”

All the Republicans who are refusing to punish Marjorie Taylor Greene have no right to ever speak about antisemitism on the left again.

— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) February 3, 2021

Republican Jewish Coalition Executive Director Matt Brooks, on the other hand, praised McCarthy’s statement for “strongly condemning comments by @mtgreenee and noting they have no place in the GOP.”

.@GOPLeader issues statement strongly condemning comments by @mtgreenee and noting they have no place in the GOP. https://t.co/mFKgwvnN8k

— Matt Brooks (@mbrooksrjc) February 3, 2021