Marjorie Taylor Greene takes the stand in Georgia. (C-SPAN)
Georgia representative Marjorie Taylor Greene “does not recall” a concerning amount about her actions surrounding the Capitol riots, but does remember saying Nancy Pelosi deserved the death penalty.
Last month, bipartisan Texas-based group Free Speech for People filed a complaint on behalf of Georgia voters, arguing that Greene is “ineligible” for reelection under the “Insurrectionist Disqualification Clause”.
The constitutional clause bans politicians from running for Congress if they have engaged in “insurrection or rebellion”.
The suit alleges that the anti-LGBT+ congresswoman “voluntarily aided and engaged in insurrection to obstruct the peaceful transfer of presidential power” in January, 2021, and added that “Greene’s actions and the events of January 6 provide, at a minimum, a prima facie case” for disqualification.
On Friday, 22 April, Greene testified at an administrative hearing in a state court in Atlant, Georgia, but there was a concerning amount that she could not “recall”.
Luckily, the plaintiffs submitted plenty of evidence to jog Greene’s memory, including six videos, more than 20 exhibits and congressional records.
Prosecuting, attorney Ron Fein said in his opening statements that Greene herself would be “the most powerful witness in establishing that she crossed the line into engagement of insurrection” ahead of the Capitol riots.
Provided with a print-out, and asked if she had ever said that “Nancy Pelosi is guilty of treason” which is “a crime punishable by death”, Greene told the court: “According to this CNN article I did. I don’t remember.”
Attorney: “Did you say referring to Speaker Pelosi ‘it’s a crime punishable by death is what treason is. Nancy Pelosi is guilty of treason. Did you say those words.”
Greene: “According to this CNN article I did. I don’t remember…”
— andrew kaczynski (@KFILE) April 22, 2022
Here is the video of the comments she initially denied: pic.twitter.com/cUVT4Bcr06
— andrew kaczynski (@KFILE) April 22, 2022
As the prosecution prepared to show video evidence of her saying those exact words, Greene interjected: “Oh no, wait, hold on now! I believe that by not securing the border that violates her oath of office.”
Asked again if she had made the comments about Pelosi, she admitted that she had.
Marjorie Taylor Greene said she didn’t remember her meetings leading up to the Capitol riots
During the hearing, Marjorie Taylor Greene said that she did not remember any of her meetings in the days before the 6 January Capitol riots, despite a recently-resurfaced video showing her discussing a “great planning session” for an “objection” to Joe Biden’s election victory.
She also insisted that by asking her followers to come to the Capitol, she was “asking people to come for a peaceful march, which everyone is entitled to do… I was not asking them to actively engage in violence”.
But yet more video evidence was presented to the court, in which Greene told her social media followers in 2019: “All of us together, when we rise up, we can end all of this. We can end it. We can do it peacefully, we can.
“I hope it doesn’t, we don’t have to do it the other way. I hope not. But we should feel like we will if we have to.”
“When we rise up, we can end all of this. We can end it. We can do it peacefully, we can. I hope it doesn’t, we don’t have to do it the other way. I hope not. But we should feel like we will, if we have to.” Marjorie Taylor Greene, over 2 years ago. This is beyond disturbing. pic.twitter.com/wm048aQUe7
— Scott Dworkin (@funder) January 31, 2021
Greene also denied that she believed in the QAnon conspiracy theory, despite evidence to the contrary.
Her defence, lawyer James Bopp, said at the hearing that “First Amendment rights are at stake, not only the right to vote… or the right to run for office”, and Greene has taken federal legal action to block the complaint against her.
The hearing continues.