Marjorie Taylor Greene says Tire Nichols’ death occurred in a Democrat-controlled city and had ‘nothing to do with race’ – and asks why nobody cares about Ashli Babbitt’s death as she sits on the council’s committee House of Representatives returns
- Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene made her first public appearance on the committee since getting her duties back after they were pulled by Democrats in 2021
- She is now on the Homeland Security and Oversight Committees
- The Georgia Republican called for an investigation into the “civil rights violations” of people jailed on January 6 for rioting at the Capitol
Hot-headed GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia on Tuesday downplayed the gruesome killing of Tire Nichols and suggested an inquest into the Jan. 6 death of rioter Ashli Babbitt, in her first appearance on the committee since House Democrats put her in the were relieved of their duties at the last Congress.
At a hearing today of the House Oversight Committee – one of two influential bodies she was given seats on this month – Greene called on the chairman, Kentucky Rep. James Comer, to investigate “civil rights abuses” by people who died because of the storm the US Capitol in 2021.
Meanwhile, she denounced Nichols’ police killing as “tragic” but pointed out that Memphis, the city where he died, was “controlled by the Democrats.”
Greene also denied that racism played a role in the 29-year-old’s death because the five officers charged in the affair were black.
“I watched the video and it was tragic and extremely difficult to watch,” the congresswoman said.
Georgia GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene made his first public appearance before a 118th Congressional public committee on Tuesday
“I would also like to point out that this city is controlled by the Democrats and the five officers who were arrested and charged are black and I don’t think this is an issue of racism or anything like that.”
She added, “I think the judge, jury and trial need to figure out what happened there.”
Greene then pointed out that Babbitt’s mother was in the committee room.
Babbitt was killed while leading a mob attempting to enter the US Capitol Speakers’ Lobby on January 6, 2021.
She was shot dead by a police officer while attempting to climb through broken glass just meters from where lawmakers fled the chamber.
The Air Force veteran was a staunch supporter of Donald Trump and became something of a martyr for the former president’s hard right and members of his orbit, who have since sought to downplay the insurgency.
“In this room is a woman whose daughter was murdered on January 6th. Ashli Babbitt. And Ashli Babbitt has — there was never a trial. In fact, nobody cared about the person who shot them,” Greene said.
She claimed the death of 29-year-old Tire Nichols, who was brutally beaten by Memphis police, had nothing to do with race because the five officers charged in his death were black
MTG proposed that this Congress investigate the January 6, 2021 death of Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt, as well as the “civil rights violations” of others jailed that day for storming the Capitol
Insurgents loyal to then-President Donald Trump attempt to breach a police barrier at the Capitol on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC
The officer who shot Babbitt was cleared of wrongdoing by an internal U.S. Capitol Police investigation.
Greene signaled that she wanted to delve further into this when she said, “No one in this Congress has really delved into this issue.”
She went on to repeat her earlier denunciations about the treatment of those Trump supporters who were charged and jailed for illegally entering the Capitol complex that day.
“I believe that many people came to the Capitol on January 6 whose civil rights and liberties are being severely violated,” Greene said.
“And this committee, Mr. Chairman, will hopefully look into these civil rights violations because they’re happening right here in this city in a prison.”
It’s an explosive start to Greene’s tenure on the Board of Supervisors, as well as on the Homeland Security Committee.
She received the two valuable assignments after being instrumental in helping House Speaker Kevin McCarthy win the gavel in 15 grueling rounds of voting.
House Democrats had stripped her of her committee duties on the education and labor boards in early 2021 over her inflammatory social media presence before she came to Capitol Hill.
She had promoted “false flag” conspiracy theories about school shootings and promoted posts calling for the deaths of prominent Democrats.
That vote was mostly down party lines, 230 to 199, with 11 House Republicans voting with Democrats to demote Greene.