Democrats call for Marjorie Taylor Greene to be ousted after Facebook comments about prominent Democrats

WASHINGTON – Some House Democrats want Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to resign, be expelled from Congress or be stripped of her committee post after past remarks surfaced appearing to show the Georgia Republican endorsing violence against prominent Democrats on Facebook.

A trove of Greene's controversial remarks trickled out during her successful campaign election in November. But over the last week, an array of new posts surfaced that left some Democrats condemning her and calling for her ouster.

The outcry came after CNN published an in-depth look at Greene's Facebook before she ran for office, finding she "liked" a comment in January 2019 that said Pelosi should be taken out with a "bullet to the head." In a video around that time, Greene said Pelosi was "a traitor to our country, she's guilty of treason," saying it was "a crime punishable by death."

Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., called for her resignation Tuesday, writing to Greene on Twitter, "Your conduct does not reflect creditably on the House, and you should resign."

Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., introduced a resolution Wednesday evening calling for Greene to be expelled from Congress. But Gomez's resolution would require two-thirds of the House supporting it, meaning more than a dozen Republicans would have to back it along with all House Democrats for the resolution to pass the closely-divided chamber.

"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," Gomez said. "Her very presence in office represents a direct threat against the elected officials and staff who serve our government."

Adding on to the controversy, Greene was appointed Wednesday to the House Education and Labor Committee — a post that further angered Democrats due to her comments on recent school shootings. Video footage went viral this week showing Greene appearing to heckle a teen survivor of a deadly high school shooting in Parkland, Florida.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi unloaded on Republicans for their handling of Greene's conduct, saying her appointment to the panel was "absolutely appalling" and "really beyond the pale."

"Assigning her to the Education Committee when she has mocked the killing of little children," Pelosi said. "What could they be thinking? Or is thinking too generous a word for what they might be doing?"

Rep. Bobby Scott, the Virginia Democrat who chairs the House Education and Labor Committee, similarly did not mince words on Greene's appointment to the panel. He said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., needs to explain his rationale in appointing the Georgia Republican to the panel.

"House Republicans made this appointment and Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy must explain how someone with this background represents the Republican party on education issues," Scott said. "He is sending a clear message to students, parents, and educators about the views of the Republican party.”

Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., who serves on the Education and Labor Committee, told CNN that Greene should be removed from the panel, saying the GOP needed to quickly "right this wrong."

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Mark Bednar, a spokesman for McCarthy, told Axios Greene's comments were "deeply disturbing and Leader McCarthy plans to have a conversation with the Congresswoman about them."

It was not clear when that conversation might happen.

Greene, who has been a congresswoman for about three weeks, has not apologized for the remarks. But in a statement on Twitter, she said others helped manage her account over the years.

"Many posts have been liked. Many posts have been shared. Some did not represent my views," she wrote.

She also called CNN's report "fake news" and insisted that the media was trying to cancel her over her views.

Asked about the calls for her to be ousted from Congress and removed from the committee, Greene's office said, "Congresswoman Greene has zero plans to comply with Democrat demands of her."

"They are coming after me because they know I represent the people, not the politicians," Greene said in a statement. "They are coming after me because like President Trump, I will always defend conservative values. They want to take me out because I represent the people. And they absolutely hate it."

In a Facebook post from April 2018, Greene responded to a post from a person who asked whether former President Barack Obama and former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton could be hanged, CNN reported. Greene replied by saying the "stage is being set. Players are being put in place. We must be patient. This must be done perfectly or liberal judges would let them off," CNN reported.

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The CNN report was followed by a video shared online appearing to show Greene following a teen who survived a mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, and peppering him with questions about the attack and gun rights.

In the video, Greene follows David Hogg, who became a prominent leader for gun control after the attack at his high school in 2018 that took 17 lives, for a block or two in downtown Washington, D.C. and asks him why he's trying to "take away my Second Amendment rights."

"How did you get major press coverage on this issue?" Greene asks on the video. "And how did you get kids? Why do you use kids? Why kids?"

Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., responded to the video, saying he "can't believe this person is my colleague on the EDUCATION & Labor Committee."

Greene has since called the shooting tragic and argued the attacks show why guns are needed in schools to protect children.

Since a number of media outlets have reported on her previous remarks, many of Greene's posts have been removed from social media.

Greene had been the center of controversy in Republican ranks even before joining Congress over her past remarks and support for the QAnon conspiracy fringe moment, which baselessly claims a "deep state" cabal of pedophiles was trying to bring down then-President Donald Trump. She has also routinely refused to wear face masks during the pandemic and has been one of the loudest peddlers of Trump's baseless theories of election fraud.

Some of her previous remarks, including disparaging comments on minorities and a suggestion that Muslim members of Congress were part of an "Islamic invasion of our government," came out during her campaign and were reported by Politico. But the concerns, including from fellow Republicans, were ultimately brushed aside with leaders, including Trump, embracing Greene and donating to her campaign.

She has continued to face backlash since joining the House due to her role in propping up conspiracies relating to the election.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked Wednesday whether the administration has an opinion on whether Greene should face discipline.

“We don’t,” Psaki said. “And I’m not going to speak further about her in this briefing room.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Marjorie Taylor Greene faces calls to be ousted over Facebook comments