Greene hostile during eligibility testimony
ATLANTA » U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was hostile during testimony Friday in a hearing on her eligibility to run for reelection, saying she did not remember liking and making various social media posts surrounding the attack on the U.S. Capitol last year and accusing an opposing lawyer of using chopped videos and twisting her words.
Voters in the Georgia congresswoman’s district have said Greene helped facilitate the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection that disrupted certification of President Joe Biden’s victory, making her ineligible for reelection under a rarely cited section of the 14th Amendment dealing with “insurrection or rebellion.”
But Greene — who, the day before the Capitol riot, proclaimed on TV that this is “our 1776 moment” — testified that she has never endorsed violence.
Greene is set to appear on the Republican ballot for Georgia’s May 24 primary and has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump.
The administrative law judge who oversaw the hearing must present his findings to Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who will make the determination over whether Greene is qualified.
Greene repeatedly has denied aiding or engaging in an insurrection and has filed a lawsuit alleging claiming that the law the voters are using to challenge her eligibility is itself unconstitutional.
But Ron Fein, a lawyer for the voters who filed the challenge, said Greene took an oath and broke it by engaging in an insurrection. Although Greene wasn’t on the steps of the Capitol, she nevertheless played an important role in stoking Republican fury before the attack, Fein said.
Unlike the Civil War and other insurrections that involved military uniforms and tactics, he said, “The leaders of this insurrection were among us, on Facebook, on Twitter, on corners of social media that would make your stomach hurt.”
Andrew Celli, a lawyer for the voters, questioned Greene about posts on her social media accounts. She repeatedly responded, “I don’t recall,” or “I don’t remember.”
When asked about the fact that her Facebook account had, in 2019, “liked” a post calling for Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to be shot in the head, Greene said she had no memory of that and said someone else could have been responsible.
Whenever Celli suggested that she had endorsed the use of violence to interrupt the certification of the electoral votes, Greene asserted she doesn’t support violence and was encouraging peaceful protest.
Celli played a clip of an interview Greene did Jan. 5, 2021, in which she said this is “our 1776 moment.” When Celli asked if she was aware some Trump supporters used that reference as a call to violence, Greene said that wasn’t her intention and that she was talking about her plans to object to the certification of electoral votes.
“I was talking about the courage to object,” she said.
Celli appeared to grow frustrated at times when she didn’t directly answer his questions, and she accused him of speculating.
“Ms. Greene, I’m just asking questions,” he said.
“I’m just answering,” she responded.
Administrative Law Judge Charles Beaudrot repeatedly admonished Greene supporters for clapping or cheering during the proceedings.