Marjorie Taylor Greene Is Criticized by Some Republicans For Appearing at Far-Right Activist’s Conference
Georgia Republican defends speech, says she doesn’t support white nationalism
Alexa CorseFeb. 27, 2022 5:59 pm ET
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) also attended the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Fla., over the weekend.
Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R., Ga.) is being criticized by some Republicans and other GOP officials for speaking at an event hosted by a far-right activist, but Mrs. Greene defended her appearance and said she doesn’t support white nationalism.
The controversy is the latest sign of divisions within the Republican Party. The party’s internal tensions are playing out ahead of midterm elections, where the party is hoping to gain control of one or both chambers of Congress.
Mrs. Greene spoke Friday at the America First Political Action Conference. The conference was hosted by a group founded by Nick Fuentes, a far-right personality who the FBI has called a white supremacist in a court document. The event was planned as an alternative to the Conservative Political Action Conference, an annual gathering of conservatives that separately took place in the same city, Orlando, Fla., over recent days. Mrs. Greene also participated in CPAC over the weekend.
Mr. Fuentes defended his group and said the event had been a success, according to posts on the messaging app Telegram. He couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
In her remarks at the event, Mrs. Greene said she doesn’t believe in canceling people based on their beliefs or identity, and she assailed the Democratic Party, according to videos posted online of the event.
“I reject identity politics because there’s one thing I know: It doesn’t matter what your skin color is or any of these choices and all of these things that are said. It matters who you are as a person,” Mrs. Greene said at the event, according to a video posted on her verified Twitter account.
Mrs. Greene in a statement Sunday defended her appearance at the event. “I won’t cancel others in the conservative movement, even if I find some of their statements tasteless, misguided or even repulsive at times,” she said. “I encourage them to seek wisdom, and apologize to those who have been hurt by their words, as I’ve had to do. Our faith calls for charity and forgiveness.”
She told CBS News that she didn’t know Mr. Fuentes and that she doesn’t endorse white nationalist views. “It was to talk about getting everyone together to save our country,” she said about why she went to the event. She also tweeted, “I am not going to play the guilt by association game in which you demand every conservative should justify anything ever said by anyone they’ve ever shared a room with.”
Over the weekend, some Republicans continued to criticize the gathering. Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah said Sunday on CNN, “Anybody that would sit down with white nationalists and speak at their conference was certainly missing a few IQ points.”
Three other Republican elected officials participated virtually in the far-right conference by submitting taped remarks, according to the Anti-Defamation League. They were Arizona U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, Janice McGeachin, the lieutenant governor of Idaho, and Arizona state Sen. Wendy Rogers.
Ms. McGeachin couldn’t be reached for comment. She said in a statement Saturday, “The media wants us to play a guilt-by-association game where conservatives (and only conservatives) are accused of believing everything ever said by anyone with whom they share a stage. Don’t tell me what I believe. Listen to my words.” She also said she doesn’t support discriminatory views.
Asked why she participated in the conference, Ms. Rogers told The Wall Street Journal: “Because the #FakeNews doesn’t want me to. It is like saying ‘Don’t park on the grass.’”
A spokeswoman for Mr. Gosar didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement, “White supremacy, neo-Nazism, hate speech and bigotry are disgusting and do not have a home in the Republican Party.”
The Republican Jewish Coalition, a Washington, D.C.-based group, condemned lawmakers who participated in the event. “This has absolutely no place in the Republican Party,” the group said in a statement.
In Georgia, Floyd County Republican Party Chairman Jamieson Palmer said in a statement that the group was aware of Mrs. Greene’s attendance at AFPAC and that it “denounces ALL radical and racist speech.” He said that its values are “those of inclusion of all like minded individuals regardless of race or religion” and that it stands with Ukraine against Russian aggression.
Mrs. Greene has repeatedly clashed with other members of Congress, including from her own party. Democrats and some Republicans voted to remove Mrs. Greene from her committee assignments last year over her past remarks embracing conspiracy theories. She said last year that she regretted those statements and that she had been receiving misinformation.
—Siobhan Hughes contributed to this article.
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