In a statement released on Monday night, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell tore into freshman Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), a congressional supporter of the far-right QAnon conspiracy theory revealed to be a Parkland and Sandy Hook truther who claimed 9/11 was an inside job and also supported executing Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in social media posts. In a separate statement, the Senate leader praised Rep. Liz Cheney.
McConnell's statements clearly express the divide that has riven the GOP post-election, with Trumpists taking the side of the conspiracy theorist while trying to remove Cheney, who voted to impeach. Meanwhile, more moderate Republicans (if you can call them that) are calling to remove Greene from committee assignments and the body altogether.
McConnell didn't mention Greene by name but it was clear enough who he was talking about that Greene quickly shot back on Twitter.
Wrote McConnell: “Loony lies and conspiracy theories are cancer for the Republican Party and our country. Somebody who's suggested that perhaps no airplane hit the Pentagon on 9/11, that horrifying school shootings were pre-staged, and that the Clintons crashed JFK Jr.'s airplane is not living in reality. This has nothing to do with the challenges facing American families or the robust debates on substance that can strengthen our party.”
Greene tweeted back: “The real cancer for the Republican Party is weak Republicans who only know how to lose gracefully. This is why we are losing our country.”
McConnell, in a separate statement, praised Rep. Liz Cheney, who voted to impeach Trump: “Liz Cheney is a leader with deep convictions and the courage to act on them. She is an important leader in our party and in our nation. I am grateful for her service and look forward to continuing to work with her on the crucial issues facing our nation.”
