Cole: Greene's case should be handled by Ethics

Rep. Tom Cole said Wednesday that he was deeply off ended by remarks made by Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene but t hat the Ethics Committee should conduct an inquiry before the House moves to strip her off committee assignments.

Speaking on are solution in the House Rules Committee to remove Greene from committees, Cole said, “Using vile antiSemitic slurs, degrading those with special needs, endorsing violence against political leaders and further victimizing those who suffered unimaginable trauma is absolutely repugnant and is unbecoming of any member of Congress.”

Cole, of Norman, the top Republican on the Rules Committee, argued that the House has long left it up to each party to make decisions about committee assignments. He said a House vote to strip Greene of her committees would set a new standard regarding what members of Congress say before they're elected and for the majority party intervening in the committee assignments of the minority.

Democrats are the majority party in the House, which is expected to vote on there so lution on Thursday. Greene has been assigned to the Budget and the Education and Labor committees.

Rep. Jim McGovern, D- Mass., the chairman of the Rules Committee, said Republicans didn't seek action by the Ethics Committee when they stripped former Iowa Rep. Steve King of his committee assignments f or making racist remarks.

And McGovern said Greene, of Georgia, had “doubled down” on the comments she made before being elected last year and was raising money off them.

Greene has made or endorsed comments on social media about using violence against House Speaker Nancy Pel os i , suggesting the plane attack at the World Trade Center didn't happen and that mass school killings were staged.

“This is truly stick stuff,” he said.

McGovern said she also spread “anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, including one about a Jewish space laser being the cause of wildfires in California.”

He said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was “unwilling or unable to do the right thing” and take action against Greene.

McCarthy, R-Cal if ., issued a statement on Wednesday condemning Greene's past comments; he said Democrats had rejected an alternative he had offered to address concerns about Greene.

“While Democrats pursue are solution 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 com promised by Chinese spies, or the Chair woman of the House Financial Services Committee who advocated for violence against public servants,” McCarthy said.

Cole also suggested a double standard was at work.

“In my opinion, there have been plenty of instance soft he current majority party using intemperate language or taking controversial actions, actions I will add that went unchecked by Democratic leadership,” he said.

Democrats rejected comparisons between Greene's comments and ones made by Minnesota Rep. Il han Omar, California Rep. Maxine Waters and others.

Rep. Ed Perl mutter, D-Colo., a member of the Rules Committee, said, “This started by the selection of Miss Greene, who questions the shootings that we all know happened, to put her on Labor and Education … That's what's got me so upset.”

Cole said the bi partisan Ethics Committee exists to adjudicate matters regarding the House's official code of conduct.

“This would certainly be an appropriate course of action in this case ,” said Cole.