Greene is bad for GOP

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia was stripped of several House committee assignments after expressing views considered dangerous by many. She promoted QAnon, a disproven and discredited conspiracy theory alleging that a secret cabal of Satan-worshipping, cannibalistic pedophiles is running a global child sex-trafficking ring. The group figured prominently in the United States Capitol insurrection that killed a Capitol police officer and numerous others.

She claimed that the Sandy Hook and Parkland school massacres were false flag events and went so far as to openly harass one massacre survivor. Rep. Greene has claimed the 911 attacks were faked, denying a plane ever crashed into the pentagon. She has expressed support for executing opposition politicians and claimed that recent forest fires were started by lasers in space controlled by Jews.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell described Greene's views as "loony lies" a "cancer for the Republican Party," a view shared by many Republicans. Rep. Jason Smith, on the other hand, voted to allow Greene to retain committee assignments, including the Education Committee, and graciously yielded his time allowing Greene to speak on the House floor. Smith and Greene have both challenged the 2020 presidential election results without offering credible evidence of malfeasance.

Association with extremist or violent behavior comes with consequences. In the past, Democrats were hurt by it. Today. the actions of those defending, if not outright supporting conspiracy theories, cults, and potentially libelous election claims, threatens an exodus from the Republican Party and calamity at the polls.

WILL RICHARDSON, Jackson