Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, suggested that the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot would have succeeded if she was in charge.
Greene was among the high-profile guests to attend and speak at an event hosted by the New York Young Republican Club in New York City on Saturday evening. Others in attendance included former President Donald Trump's son Donald Trump Jr., Rudy Giuliani, and commentator Jack Posobiec.
During her address at the event, Greene touched on the Capitol riot, a subject she has been consistently outspoken on, and said that rioters would have been successful had she and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon been in charge of them, according to the New York Post.
"I want to tell you something, if Steve Bannon and I had organized that, we would have won," the congresswoman said. "Not to mention, we would've been armed."
Last year's attack on the U.S. Capitol building was carried out by supporters of Trump following his "Stop the Steal" rally, spurred on by the news that then-Vice President Mike Pence had not intervened in the certification of Joe Biden's 2020 election win. According to testimony from some involved, rioters sought to disrupt the certification process in an effort to keep Trump in power, with some explicitly targeting members of Congress. Rioters were also infamously heard chanting "Hang Mike Pence."
Among her other talking points at the event, Greene also reiterated her opposition to aid for Ukraine, bragging about her refusal to vote in favor of a "single penny." She also questioned the provision of Secret Service protection to progressive Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and called on the incoming House GOP majority to support more of her proposals, including a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youths under 18, which she dubiously equated to "genital mutilation."
In the past, Greene has made the treatment of January 6 prisoners one of her leading political issues, claiming that they have been mistreated in jail while awaiting trial. Following a visit to a Washington, D.C., jail last year, she said that the prisoners clapped, cheered, and cried when they met her.
The GOP lawmaker has also faced legal scrutiny over allegations that she helped facilitate the attack on the Capitol by providing tours of the building in the days leading up to the insurrection. A group of voters in Georgia brought the case against her, claiming that individuals who help stage an insurrection are barred from holding elected office under the 14th Amendment. Greene has denied any wrongdoing or involvement in the riot, calling herself a "victim" of the event.
Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment.
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Thomas Kika is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in upstate New York. His focus is reporting on crime and national ... Read more
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