Greene’s hostile conduct could lead to inquiry

WASHINGTON — A year before her election to Congress, Marjorie Taylor Greene searched for Rep. Alexandria OcasioCortez at her Capitol office, taunting the New York Democrat to “get rid of your diaper” and “talk to the American citizens,” as shown in video unearthed by CNN.

“I am an American citizen. I pay your salary through the taxes that you collect from me through the IRS,” Greene says through the mail slot of a locked door. “I do not support your socialist policies.”

The release Friday of the sincedeleted video, which was initially broadcast in February 2019 on Facebook Live, came the same week that Greene followed OcasioCortez off the House floor, shouting that the

Democrat supported “terrorists” and doesn’t “care about the American people,” as first reported by the Washington Post.

The incidents add to a portrait of the activistturnedlawmaker who has shown little interest in governing, but has instead used her platform to float conspiracy theories, push Donald Trump’s false claims about a stolen 2020 election and further her own notoriety. Her combativeness toward colleagues has only grown after an unprecedented rebuke where the House stripped her of committee assignments, effectively ending her ability to shape legislation.

Greene’s behavior has alarmed some members of Congress, where feelings remain raw after the deadly Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters intent on overturning the outcome of the 2020 election.

“This is a woman that’s deeply unwell and clearly needs some help,” OcasioCortez told reporters Friday. “Her kind of fixation has lasted for several years now” and the “depth of that unwellness has raised concerns for other members, as well.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Greene’s behavior was “beyond the pale” and raised the possibility of an ethics investigation.

“This is beneath the dignity of a person serving in the Congress of the United States and is a cause for trauma, and fear among members, especially on the heels of an insurrection,” Pelosi said.

Yet so far, Republicans have shown little appetite for punishing Greene. They rallied around her in February after some of her past comments came to light, including her endorsement of calls to assassinate leading Democrats. That left it to Democrats, who were joined by 11 Republicans, in voting to strip her of her committee assignments.

Phelan M. Ebenhack / Associated Press GOP Reps. Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene hold a rally May 7 in The Villages, Fla. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recently assailed Greene’s behavior as “beyond the pale.”