Judge hears Rep. Greene challenge
♦ No decision made after the daylong hearing challenging her candidacy.
A legal hearing concerning a challenge to the candidacy of 14th District Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Friday largely consisted of the congresswoman stating she couldn’t recall many of the events leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the Capitol.
The challenge, filed with the Georgia secretary of state’s office by the nonprofit Free Speech for People, contends that Greene should be disqualified from holding public office. The accusation alleges she helped facilitate the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol which, the group contends, should constitutionally bar her from office.
Greene took the stand just before noon and primarily denied knowledge or recollection of a number of statements, or actions, made by her on social media regarding events leading up to the Jan. 6 insurrection.
In a line of questioning regarding threatening statements directed at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, to whether or not she’d met with several people accused of planning an illegal storming of the Capitol — she replied “I don’t know” or “I don’t recall” repeatedly.
When asked if she advocated for martial law directly to then-president Donald Trump or his chief of staff prior to Congress certifying his loss to President Joe Biden, Greene said “I don’t recall.”
At several points during the morning session of the hearing, Greene and Andrew Celli, a Free Speech for People attorney, began talking over one another.
Administrative Law Judge Charles R. Beaudrot stopped the hearing, admonishing both parties.
“This is not theatre. This is not an argument before the Supreme Court, this is an evidentiary hearing,” Judge Beaudrot said.
However, the back-andforth continued throughout the early afternoon covering topics including the movie “Independence Day” as well as numerous social media posts, statements attributed to Greene and videos.
Answering questions regarding Jan. 6 as well as other incendiary social media posts — including several on her now banned personal Twitter page — Greene claimed she has never promoted violence.
“I never mean anything for violence. None of my words, never ever, mean anything for violence,” Greene claimed.
Celli continued asking if anyone had mentioned using violence at the protest or talking to anyone about the potential for violence on Jan. 6.
Greene continued to say, under oath, that she didn’t remember.
“So you’re not denying it, you’re just saying you don’t recall,” he said
Greene said “I don’t recall.” However, Celli played videos where Greene pushed falsehoods stating that former president Donald Trump actually won the 2020 election and “you can’t allow it to just transfer power peacefully ... because this election has been stolen.”
Greene claimed the video was not her full video and was “chopped up” describing it as a “cut and splice” video.
Celli, reading statements attributed to Greene, by Atlanta-based CNN asked if those statements were correct. Greene, saying she couldn’t recall, said the news organization had misattributed or misquoted her on numerous occasions.
She then fired back at the attorney “you sound like you have as many conspiracy theories as QAnon at this point.”
“You believe in QAnon right,” Celli asked Greene.
“I, no, I did not say I believe in QAnon,” she said. The judge then stopped that line of questioning under objection.
Prior to Greene taking the stand, her attorney James Bopp framed the challenge to her candidacy as a publicity stunt.
Bopp, during the afternoon session, asked Greene about a video tweet she released
during the Jan. 6, 2021 incident where she asked people to “be safe, be smart, be peaceful, obey the law, this is not a time for violence.”
Greene was able to confirm that she made the video Bopp referenced.
Bopp asked her whether or not she was a victim of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack.
“Yes,” Greene said. She described being evacuated to a secret location as the mob stormed the Capitol.