The Flake Factor

No, not former U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake.

The name starts with a big G and rhymes with lean. As in: GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the freshman congresswoman from Georgia.

As if we didn’t have enough to worry about with the looming impeachment trial, the sagging economy, the mounting deaths and new cases from Covid-19, the barrage of lies that our election was stolen being spread by the likes of GOP Sen. Josh Hawley, Sen. Cruz, and Sen. Kevin McCarthy, and GOP members targeting Sen. Liz Cheney’s expulsion only because she voted to impeach Donald J. Trump, now we’ve got members of Congress, including Rep. Greene, who are becoming increasingly vocal and vitriolic vis-à-vis so many issues plaguing this beleaguered country.

Rep. Greene happens to be one of those extremely vocal politicians, so much so, she’s been talked about on just about every major news channel and podcast you can think of.

She got into so much hot water, she didn’t want the paper-trail blues, so she got rid of the evidence, including recently taking down a host of Facebook posts from 2018 and 2019 in which she supported fringe conspiracy theories, and accused Speaker Nancy Pelosi of being “guilty of treason” and who should be thrown into “prison or suffer death” — all comments she made before running for Congress.

But Rep. Greene hasn’t learned her lessons yet, because she recently boasted about having a “great call” with her favorite POTUS, saying she’ll “never back down and never apologize” for what she said, which is one of the many reasons Democrats want her expelled from the U.S. House of Representatives, expelled from the House Committee on Education and Labor she serves on, and censured before she does even more harm.

Rep. Greene, who’s known for her inflammatory remarks, was captured on tape for having said she believes the Sandy Hook and Parkland shootings are “fake.” In other words, she believes these horrific events never happened. What gives this woman the nerve, the audacity, to ignore reality? Has she actually spoken with all the bereft parents who are still mourning over the loss of their children?

There are clearly screws loose, which is why Speaker Pelosi is still so angry with the GOP leaders for having called on Rep. Greene to serve on any committee, let alone the Education Committee. If anything, they should be totally embarrassed by her off-the-wall statements and actions and should be taking her to task right now.

Perhaps that’s why there’s now a lot of chatter about starting a third MAGA party.

As if Rep. Greene’s inability to acknowledge the school shootings took place wasn’t shocking enough and as if her harassment of gun-control activist David Hogg on Capitol Hill wasn’t enough, Rep. Greene has also threatened to have House Speaker Nancy Pelosi killed, along with other democratic legislators.

Rep. Barbara Lee hopes GOP Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who is scheduled to talk with Rep. Greene this coming week, “reigns her in.” Rep. Lee said on CNN today, “We can’t allow these individuals to be a danger to the public, and Greene is a perfect example of the enemy from within the House of Representatives” that Speaker Pelosi has been warning everyone about. Rep. Lee also said Rep. Greene is “a danger, who refuses to wear a mask in public and who should not serve in any legislative body.” She went on to say, “We’re not going to allow domestic terrorists inside or outside the Capitol to win.” Yet national correspondent Suzanne Malveaux reported that Rep. Greene is still “full of fight” and “won’t back down.”

Rep. Nikema Williams, who wants to hold Rep. Greene fully accountable for her actions and words, said on CNN today, “She continues to spread her conspiracy theories and her violent rhetoric….and she should be removed from the Education Committee.” Rep. Williams also said, “The GOP party’s under the control of Donald J. Trump right now; she had the chance to apologize, but instead she doubled down. It’s time to remove her.” Rep. Williams, who’s hired extra security, said she’s worried about her own safety and the safety of her family. She said she refuses to “walk alone on Capitol Hill, because you never know whom you’re going to run into.”