Marjorie Taylor Greene's Laughter in House Committee Sparks Tense Exchange

Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene was accused of laughing during a meeting of the House Committee on Homeland Security on Wednesday night which discussed a commemorative coin depicting Haitian migrants being whipped at the border.

Representatives were debating an unofficial collector's coin sold on eBay which used a shocking image shot in 2021 in Del Rio, Texas, showing a Border Patrol agent on horseback chasing a Black Haitian migrant. The migrants were illegally entering the U.S. near Eagle Pass, Texas, in September 2021, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The origin of the coin is not yet known; it appeared online for the first time last year. The text on one side reads: "Horse Patrol Unit - Haitian invasion - Deflecting allegations for years." The other side shows a Border Patrol officer on a horse whipping a migrant and the text states: "Whipping a** since 1924." According to Miami Herald, the coin is being circulated among Border Patrol officers.

Greene was reportedly caught laughing during the proceedings, sparking outrage from Democrat Donald M. Payne, Jr.

"It was shocking to depict someone on a horse, with a whip, whipping a human being. And that's funny? That engenders giggles? That's funny—people being whipped. Wow," Payne asked the congresswoman.

Greene shot back, defending her behavior: "There's no one on this committee who thinks whipping is a laughing matter."

She said: "I was laughing about something completely unrelated. And it's extremely poor behavior of people on this committee to continue to attack my character for political points, likely for campaign ads."

On Twitter, Greene wrote: "Democrats are offended by an unofficial challenge coin but want to amend our border protection bill because of their fake outrage. Either way, aren't Americans still entitled to the First Amendment?"

After the public outrage sparked by the images of the Border Patrol officers chasing down the Haitian migrant in 2021, authorities promised to investigate the use of violence by Border Patrol officers in Del Rio. The CBP distanced itself from the coin, telling The New York Times that the images depicted on the coin were "offensive, insensitive and run counter to the values of CBP."

The incident was officially condemned by President Joe Biden, who admitted that border security is often racialized and promised the people responsible "will pay."

Last year, the CBP told The Los Angeles Times that it was investigating whether any federal employee sold or made the coin, but those responsible are yet to be identified.

The Haitian being whipped in the image is Mirard Joseph, as reported by MSNBC, who's since been deported back to Haiti.

Newsweek contacted Greene's spokesperson for comment by email.