‘Jewish space laser’ among wild hoaxes backed by GOP’s Marjorie Taylor Greene – National

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene‘s social media historical past provides a window right into a false, conspiracy theory-based actuality — one the place Donald Trump received re-election, the Sandy Hook and Parkland faculty shootings have been pretend, the 9/11 assault was an inside job and the 2018 California wildfires have been attributable to Jewish house lasers.

The Republican Occasion is dealing with mounting stress to rein within the rookie lawmaker from Georgia, as her lengthy historical past of backing debunked conspiracy theories and making excessive threats on social media continues to spill out into public view.

Greene has dismissed mass shootings as “false flags,” mocked the kid victims of gun violence, known as for Democrats to be executed and denounced the Nov. 3 election as a fraud, despite the fact that it put her in energy. She has additionally described the fantastical QAnon hoax as one thing “value listening to,” and he or she repeatedly embraced probably the most outlandish and demonstrably false beliefs of the motion.

Greene’s previous and current beliefs have made her a goal for concern, ridicule and concern in Congress, particularly given her requires a few of her new colleagues to be killed.

The most recent outcry includes one in all Greene’s Fb posts from 2018, through which she peddled the weird declare {that a} rich Jewish household used a supervillain satellite tv for pc to start out California’s devastating Camp Fireplace.

2:18Camp Fireplace: Drone exhibits extent of devastation from California wildfire

The submit was first reported by Media Issues for America, a liberal watchdog group that combed via Greene’s Fb and Twitter historical past. The submit has since been deleted, however the web site captured a screenshot for its report.

The submit exhibits Greene making an attempt to tie the wildfires to an influence firm, a rail venture, a satellite tv for pc and the Rothschilds — a rich Jewish household that has been the goal of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories for greater than two centuries.

“There are too many coincidences to disregard,” she wrote within the submit, which makes a number of large leaps in logic to attach all of the dots. She additionally claimed that folks noticed “lasers or blue beams of sunshine inflicting the fires,” in what might need been a reference to a uncommon firenado.

0:38New footage exhibits ‘Firenado’ which killed firefighter in California

Social media customers ridiculed Greene for the hoax this week, with one writer quipping: “Why are they calling it Jewish Area Laser when Demise Star of David is correct there?”

The Republican Jewish Coalition rebuked Greene for the conspiracy principle in a press release on Friday. “We’re offended and appalled by her feedback and her actions,” the RJC stated. “She is way outdoors the mainstream of the Republican Occasion, and the RJC is working carefully with the Home Republican management relating to subsequent steps on this matter.”

However house lasers are simply the tip of the iceberg with Greene, who was elected to signify Georgia’s 14th district final November. Greene was an lively far-right conspiracy theorist earlier than her election, and he or she has continued to push lots of these beliefs, together with the QAnon hoax.

QAnon is an extremist conspiracy principle that believes Donald Trump was a warrior for God who was secretly working to ferret out a cabal of cannibalistic pedophiles contained in the U.S. authorities, Hollywood and the Democratic Occasion. The group was well-represented on the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, and had anticipated Trump to stay in workplace for a second time period. The FBI had additionally labelled the group a home terror menace.

However, Greene has backed many Q-related beliefs since her election, together with the false declare that Trump misplaced due to election fraud. She was briefly suspended from Twitter earlier within the month for pushing such views in a video clip.

Greene has additionally supported a number of “truther” conspiracy theories that sought to discredit previous mass shootings, together with the 2017 Las Vegas bloodbath and the varsity shootings in Parkland, Fla., and Newtown, Conn.

One video of Greene’s antics exhibits her hounding David Hogg, a Parkland taking pictures survivor, in an try and show her conspiracy theories in regards to the taking pictures. The video was shot in March 2019 and later posted to Greene’s personal YouTube web page.

Democrats and a number of other survivors of these faculty shootings have been outraged this week, after Republicans assigned Greene to the training committee in Congress.

Speaker of the Home Nancy Pelosi on Thursday known as Greene’s task “completely appalling.”

0:53US Capitol riot: Pelosi says members of Congress who helped assault might be prosecuted

“Assigning her to the training committee, when she has mocked the killing of little kids” at these colleges, “what may they be considering, or is considering too beneficiant a phrase for what they is perhaps doing?” Pelosi stated of Republican leaders.

Pelosi additionally cited Greene’s historical past of selling violence in opposition to Democrats on social media.

Greene known as for Pelosi to get a “bullet to the pinnacle” in a 2019 remark that CNN unearthed this week. CNN additionally discovered a web based dialog the place Greene appeared to encourage somebody who wished to hold former president Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

“Stage is being set,” she wrote within the April 2018 submit. “Gamers are being put in place. We should be affected person. This should be accomplished completely or liberal judges would allow them to off.”

Greene attacked CNN in a tweet in regards to the story, however didn’t deny her previous feedback. As an alternative, she highlighted that the posts had been made earlier than she ran for workplace — although just one or two years earlier than. She additionally claimed that she’s had “groups of individuals” working her social media pages.

“Many posts have been appreciated,” she wrote. “Many posts have been shared. Some didn’t signify my views.”

Greene kicked a reporter out of a public city corridor in Georgia on Wednesday night time for making an attempt to ask about her social media posts. A spokesperson for Greene’s workplace stated in a press release: “This was a city corridor for constituents. Not a press convention.”

In a press release to Axios, a spokesman for Home Republican chief Kevin McCarthy known as Greene’s posts “deeply disturbing” and stated McCarthy “plans to have a dialog with the Congresswoman about them.”

Republican Nationwide Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel known as the posts “disgusting,” including that they’ve “no place in our social gathering” and “must be seemed into.”

McDaniel additionally spoke out in opposition to QAnon on the whole.

“I believe it’s actually necessary, after what’s simply occurred in our nation, that we’ve some self-reflection on the violence that’s persevering with to erupt,” McDaniel advised The Related Press.

“I believe QAnon is past fringe. I believe it’s harmful. We must be taking a look at that and ensuring we don’t mince phrases and after we say that we are able to’t help teams which might be initiating violence.”

Rep. Cori Bush, a Democrat, additionally accused Greene on Friday of bullying and harassing her within the halls of the Capitol. Greene fired again, calling Bush “the chief of the St. Louis Black Lives Matter terrorist mob,” and claiming that Bush was the aggressor of their interplay.

Bush stated she would help a transfer by Rep. Jimmy Gomez, a California Democrat, to expel Greene from Congress based mostly on her social media exercise.

Greene’s social media accounts seem to have been purged of almost all the things previous to her run for workplace, in line with reports.

—With recordsdata from The Related Press