Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene is facing harsh criticism after she claimed she and White nationalist Steve Bannon—best known as former Republican President Donald Trump's ex-chief strategist—"would've won" the January 6 insurrection if they had planned it.
Greene denied she was involved in plotting the riot at the United States Capitol, which took place after a mob of Trump's supporters attacked the nation's seat of government on the false premise the 2020 general election had been stolen.
But she did say if she planned it, the insurrectionists "would've been armed," a statement that prompted many to accuse her of gunning for more violence during an attack that left at least five people dead and resulted in over 100 injuries to law enforcement as well as millions of dollars in damages.
You can hear what Greene said in the video below.
\u201cMarjorie Taylor Greene\u2019s January 6th comments at last night\u2019s New York Young Republican Club Gala:\n\n\u201cI got to tell you something, if Steve Bannon and I had organized that, we would have won. Not to mention, it would\u2019ve been armed.\u201d\u201d— PatriotTakes \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@PatriotTakes \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1670799113
Speaking as part of her headlining appearance at the New York Young Republican Club's 110th Annual Gala on Saturday, December 10, Greene said:
"I come to Washington [and] I swear, on January 3, I'm accused of giving 'insurrection tours,' which I thought was hilarious because I couldn't even find the bathroom in the Capitol, true story."
"Then Jan. 6 happened. And, next thing you know, I organized the whole thing, along with Steve Bannon."
"And I will tell you something, if Steve Bannon and I had organized that, we would have won. Not to mention, it would've been armed."
"See that's the whole joke, isn't it? They say that whole thing was planned, and I'm like, are you kidding me? A bunch of conservatives, Second-Amendment supporters, went in the Capitol without guns, and they think that we organized that?"
Greene's remarks about insurectionists lacking guns are incorrect because a number of people were arrested for having guns on January 6. Additionally, a former White House aide's testimony before the House Select Committee tasked with investigating the attack revealed Trump explicitly wanted his supporters to march on the Capitol despite knowing many of them were armed with weapons.
Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows whose explosive testimony has spotlighted more of the former President's abuses of power, said Trump was "angry" that the Secret Service was not allowing people who had arrived armed with weapons into the "Stop the Steal" rally before the attack on the Capitol.
Hutchinson also said that she heard Trump say that those in attendance were "not here to hurt me" and had demanded that his security people "Let my people in" so they could "march to the Capitol after the rally's over."
The extent of Greene's alleged involvement in the January 6 insurrection appeared to become clearer following a bombshell report from Rolling Stone.
In October 2021, Rolling Stone published an article stating several supporters of former President Trump who helped plan the insurrection had multiple planning sessions with senior White House staffers and Republican members of Congress.
Sources who spoke to the magazine said they met with several high-profile Trump acolytes, including Representatives Paul Gosar of Arizona, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina and Greene herself.
Many have condemned Greene for advocating for a coup against the government.
\u201cShe\u2019s saying if the insurrection she supports was run by her, she\u2019d have made sure more people were armed which likely would have resulted in the murders of many cops. \nBut hey, she Backs The Blue, loves the constitution, and rule of law. \nYou have to be so stupid to support her\u201d— Jerry Sizzler (@Jerry Sizzler) 1670864330
\u201cMAGA extremists will do ANYTHING\u2014including plotting armed attacks on our Capitol\u2014to hold on to power. https://t.co/5xPaFBpF4K\u201d— CAP Action (@CAP Action) 1670858581
\u201cThat, is a sitting member of Congress openly advocating for an armed fascist coup. \n\nReally think we are at a pivotal point for American politics\u201d— Yeezy (@Yeezy) 1670854129
\u201cShe's a threat to national security and she's making it clear that Jan 6, 2021 was just the dry run.\n\nI write about coups for a living. Often the first attempted putsch fails only to be followed by a successful coup later. US democracy remains on the brink.\u201d— HawaiiDelilah\u2122 (@HawaiiDelilah\u2122) 1670815384
\u201cIt's amazing what the right will say when they think they're only among themselves but they are getting incrementally bolder and louder because no one does anything about it.\u201d— Bitch Pudding (@Bitch Pudding) 1670859872
\u201csitting member of congress (not to mention holding outsized power due to her trump connection) boldly stating in public that a coup led by her would be armed and successful.\n\nbut keep talking about the radical left led by (checks notes) um, joe biden?\u201d— crunchyrugger (@crunchyrugger) 1670861926
\u201cThis is a sitting member of Congress. Her comments are dangerously unhinged.\u201d— Leo Carney (@Leo Carney) 1670844528
\u201cIndict and arrest @RepMTG now. \n\nThis is another threat to overthrow the government of the United States. \n\nLock this creature away. Permanently.\u201d— Keith Olbermann (@Keith Olbermann) 1670807839
In June, Greene claimed ahead of a vote on a gun control measure that the committee and the federal government at large had "fragrantly" violated the rights of January 6 defendants who have been detained pre-trial, which made it sound as if these violations had a pleasant or sweet smell, a gaffe that did not go unnoticed.
Greene has made headlines in the past for visiting insurrectionists in jail, once telling Bannon that the prisoners draw pictures of the American flag and sing the national anthem every evening while crying.
Greene has described the conditions in the jail as "deplorable" and claimed that unhoused people and Guantanamo Bay detainees enjoy better living conditions.
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