Far-right QAnon devotee and Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia—who repeatedly compared mask mandates, pandemic protocols and vaccination requirements to the Holocaust—apparently saw the light about the tragedy that resulted in the murders of nearly two-thirds of Europe's Jewish population.
Following a visit to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., Greene recanted her previous statements in a public address to the press.
But her critics are not at all impressed it took such a visit to realize her comments and tweets were inappropriate and offensive.
Scores of Twitter users have dragged the Congresswoman for her belated change of tune.
In her statement, Greene admitted she'd made "a mistake" using the Holocaust for her rhetoric.
Marjorie Taylor Greene: \u201cI have made a mistake\u2026 this afternoon I visited the Holocaust Museum. The Holocaust is- there\u2019s nothing comparable to it.\u201dpic.twitter.com/skrF6YyC3u— Andrew Solender (@Andrew Solender) 1623708589
Speaking to the press, Greene said:
"I have made a mistake and it's really bothered me for a couple of weeks now... this afternoon I visited the Holocaust Museum. The Holocaust is- there's nothing comparable to it."
Greene also acknowledged the problem of Holocaust denial, which has seen worrying growth in recent years especially among members of the far-right.
"The horrors of the Holocaust are something that some people don't even believe happened... There are words that I have said and remarks I have made that I know are offensive and for that I want to apologize."
During her comments, Greene invoked the memory of her father, who she said always taught her "when you make a mistake, you should own it."
Greene's words are a striking reversal from her previous Holocaust-related rhetoric, like a tweet posted last month in which she openly drew comparisons between the Holocaust and pandemic-related rules and procedures.
Vaccinated employees get a vaccination logo just like the Nazi\u2019s forced Jewish people to wear a gold star. \n\nVaccine passports & mask mandates create discrimination against unvaxxed people who trust their immune systems to a virus that is 99% survivable.https://www.wvlt.tv/2021/05/17/food-city-to-allow-fully-vaccinated-customers-employees-to-shop-without-masks/\u00a0\u2026— Marjorie Taylor Greene \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Marjorie Taylor Greene \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1621941729
Referencing a grocery store chain's vaccination rules for employees, Greene tweeted:
"Vaccinated employees get a vaccination logo just like the Nazi's forced Jewish people to wear a gold star."
Greene was excoriated for the comments, including criticism from fellow Republicans like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
For many people on Twitter, Greene's apology was way too little, way too late.
Mazaltov, psycho.https://twitter.com/AndrewSolender/status/1404561740365537283\u00a0\u2026— Dan Cass \ud83d\udc89\ud83d\udc4d (@Dan Cass \ud83d\udc89\ud83d\udc4d) 1623709005
"I just learned about the Holocaust! Turns out, it was nothing like stores identifying vaccinated employees."https://twitter.com/AndrewSolender/status/1404561740365537283\u00a0\u2026— Alex Kane (@Alex Kane) 1623709210
Never thought I'd get to see a grown adult who grew up in this country learn about the Holocaust for the first time but here we are!https://twitter.com/AndrewSolender/status/1404561740365537283\u00a0\u2026— Dan Moritz-Rabson (@Dan Moritz-Rabson) 1623710229
Imagine having to host a press conference to announce you learned the Holocaust was very bad— nikki mccann ram\u00edrez (@nikki mccann ram\u00edrez) 1623710030
Ok where\u2019s the resignation?https://twitter.com/funder/status/1404575419983089664\u00a0\u2026— Scott Dworkin (@Scott Dworkin) 1623712006
She\u2019s 47 years old.\n\nIt takes a lot of effort to NOT learn about the Holocaust over 47 years— Just Dave \u26cf\u272d (@Just Dave \u26cf\u272d) 1623710746
A sitting member of Congress is just now learning about the Holocaust. No wonder anti-semitism is such a serious problem.— Rep. Anna V. Eskamani \ud83d\udd28 (@Rep. Anna V. Eskamani \ud83d\udd28) 1623713853
MTG was this many years old when she bothered to learn something about the Holocaust.\n\nThat tells me everything I need to know about her.https://twitter.com/AndrewSolender/status/1404561740365537283\u00a0\u2026— JackiSchechner (@JackiSchechner) 1623711095
Holocaust denial has become a cornerstone of the far-right in recent years, especially among adherents to the QAnon conspiracy theory.
Though she disavowed the theory in February, Greene had publicly identified herself as a believer in QAnon.
Her affiliation with the movement is widely believed to have resulted in her electoral success in 2020 when she ran unopposed after her Democratic challenger was harassed out of the race.
Some of Greene's prior statements lead the GOP to strip her of her House committee assignments.
Greene's continued racist, homophobic, transphobic, Islamaphobic and antisemitic comments lead people to call for her expulsion from Congress.