On Tuesday, the House Select Committee investigating the deadly failed insurrection of January 6 held its first hearing, where Capitol and D.C. Metro police officers gave harrowing testimony about their experience protecting the Capitol from the mob of pro-Trump extremists.
As the hearing was underway, far-right Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Louie Gohmert of Texas, and Paul Gosar of Arizona held a press conference outside the Justice Department to call for information on the continued detainment of some of the Capitol insurrectionists.
Like many of their Republican colleagues, the four members have repeatedly spread disinformation regarding the severity of the riots and their origins.
The presser was continuously interrupted by a literal whistleblower determined to drown out their rhetoric, but the proceedings were completely upended when a group of protesters stood behind the podium with signs critical of the representatives.
An attempt to hold a press conference by Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz and company was just shut down by protesterspic.twitter.com/7eP13hPZtT— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1627406264
Before long, the far-right congresspeople frantically retreated.
Reps. Gaetz and Greene get run out of their own presser at the DOJ. pic.twitter.com/Jc3BTbUO05
— Zachary Petrizzo (@ZTPetrizzo) July 27, 2021
Greene—seconds after vowing the Representatives wouldn't "back down" to activists—is seen running from activists to take shelter in a getaway car.
Gaetz—who's currently the subject of a federal investigation into his potential child sex trafficking—faced a blunt question from reporter Lauren Windsor:
"Are you a pedophile, Congressman Gaetz? Are you a pedophile?"
Gaetz didn't answer before getting into a getaway car of his own.
The chaos led to widespread mockery of the representatives on social media.
From hecklers blowing whistles while they were trying to do interviews, to protesters yelling \u2018pedophile,\u2019 the toxic twins of deplorability, Matt Gaetz and Marge Greene, and their traveling horror show, isn\u2019t quite working out the way they planned.pic.twitter.com/rJj4b7Ogxu— Ron Filipkowski (@Ron Filipkowski) 1627406600
Omg, @RepMTG and @RepMattGaetz and @replouiegohmert gettin run outta their own press conference. Byeeeeeehttps://twitter.com/ztpetrizzo/status/1420069248781668364\u00a0\u2026— Kathy Griffin (@Kathy Griffin) 1627407325
This is how you cancel fascist traitors.\n\nWatch drunken pedophile Matt Gaetz, his deplorable girlfriend Marjorie Taylor Greene, along with village idiot Louie Gohmert get epically shut down. \n\nOh yeah, and the Masked Whistler is a true America hero.pic.twitter.com/dPFrYDIcxW— The USA Singers (@The USA Singers) 1627411245
Pretty fun that the people trying to undercut the heroism of the Capitol police are defeated by one guy with a whistle.https://twitter.com/ZTPetrizzo/status/1420069248781668364\u00a0\u2026— Schooley (@Schooley) 1627410164
lmao Gaetz tried to create counter-programming to the Jan. 6 committee and instead got run out of his own event while getting peppered with \u201cAre you a pedophile?\u201dhttps://twitter.com/ztpetrizzo/status/1420069248781668364\u00a0\u2026— Brian Tyler Cohen (@Brian Tyler Cohen) 1627407269
Truly glorious footage.https://twitter.com/ztpetrizzo/status/1420069248781668364\u00a0\u2026— Brian Beutler (@Brian Beutler) 1627406790
They were especially brutal to Gaetz.
It is Gaetz's desperate search for his car as someone repeatedly yells "are you a pedophile???" that really takes this up a notch.https://twitter.com/ZTPetrizzo/status/1420069248781668364\u00a0\u2026— Justin Baragona (@Justin Baragona) 1627409972
This is a wonderful video of @RepMattGaetz getting some of what he deserves today.pic.twitter.com/d6MuMziV06— Gregg Housh (@Gregg Housh) 1627411460
Matt Gaetz walked away so fast he's almost a different type of ped-ophilehttps://twitter.com/ZTPetrizzo/status/1420069248781668364\u00a0\u2026— Frank Lesser (@Frank Lesser) 1627412166
The presser has yet to be rescheduled.
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social