Representative-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, wears a "Trump Won" protective mask during the first session of the 117th Congress in the House Chamber in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021. Nancy Pelosi was elected House speaker as the new session of Congress began with a narrower Democratic majority that will present her with multiple challenges in what could be her final two-year term in the top post. Photographer: Erin Scott/Reuters/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) has come under fire for comparing COVID-19 mask mandates to the Holocaust. Greene claimed in recent statements that requiring citizens to wear masks is similar to requiring Jews to wear gold stars.
On Tuesday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy called this comparison “appalling.”
“Marjorie is wrong, and her intentional decision to compare the horrors of the Holocaust with wearing masks is appalling,” said McCarthy. “The Holocaust is the greatest atrocity committed in history. The fact that this needs to be stated today is deeply troubling.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer chimed in, describing Greene’s comments as “sickening.”
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“These are sickening, reprehensible comments, and she should stop this vile language immediately,” Schumer said.
House Minority Whip Steve Scalise also spoke out against Greene.
“[Scalise] does not agree with these comments and condemns these comparisons to the Holocaust. We also need to be speaking out strongly against the dangerous anti-Semitism that is growing in our streets and in the Democrat party,” according Scalise’s spokeswoman.
Greene, however, has stood by her comments, saying in a statement to Newsweek: “At a time when the Socialist Democrats and the Jihad Squad are supporting terrorist Hamas, and their supporters are attacking Jewish people on the streets of America, it’s never been more important than now to stand up against forced vaccinations and mask mandates that the left is using to discriminate against Americans who refuse to comply. Their attempts to shame, ostracize, and brand Americans who choose not to get vaccinated or wear a mask are reminiscent of the great tyrants of history who did the same to those who would not comply.”
She also voiced her opinions on Twitter: “If you care about people NOT being discriminated against or being treated unequally then you would use your platform to be against vaccine passports. Nazi practices have already begun on our youth. Show your VAX papers or no in person class for you. This is exactly what I was saying about the gold star.”
Greene is no stranger to controversy – she has made troubling statements about the most recent presidential election, refused to wear a mask on the House floor, and harassed Democratic lawmakers. She was recently removed from all her committee assignments as a result of this erratic behavior.
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