Marjorie Taylor Greene has quickly made a name for herself during her short time in Congress, though not in the way that most newly elected members try to. Nearly a year and a half into her first term, the Georgia congresswoman has promoted a caucus for “Anglo-Saxon” values, voted to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and was stripped of her committee assignments as a result of her inflammatory rhetoric, denying the Sandy Hook massacre, floating an insane conspiracy theory about Jewish space lasers, and appearing to support the execution of top Democrats.
Greene’s antics have also been carried out inside the Capitol. Representative Cori Bush of Missouri said in January that she would be moving her office owing to an interaction she had with Greene. “A maskless Marjorie Taylor Greene & her staff berated me in a hallway. She targeted me & others on social media. I’m moving my office away from hers for my team’s safety,” Bush tweeted.
As the House was debating passage of the Equality Act in February, Representative Marie Newman of Illinois placed a transgender pride flag outside her office in honor of her daughter, who is trans, and in response to Greene’s strong opposition towards the bill. Greene, whose office is across the hall, responded by putting up a sign that read, “There are TWO genders. MALE & FEMALE. Trust the Science!”
Greene continued this trend on Wednesday, when reporters from the Washington Post witnessed a heated encounter between Greene and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
Ocasio-Cortez was seen leaving the House chamber with Greene following behind, yelling, “Hey, Alexandria!” Greene tried to catch up to Ocasio-Cortez and began to yell, asking why the congresswoman supported Black Lives Matter and antifa, groups Greene inaccurately categorized as terrorist organizations. Greene, who has repeatedly called on Ocasio-Cortez to debate her, also said Ocasio-Cortez wasn’t defending her “radical socialist” beliefs by refusing to debate. Ocasio-Cortez didn’t respond, only turning around once to throw her hands in the air.
A spokesperson for Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement to the Post: “We hope leadership and the Sergeant at Arms will take real steps to make Congress a safe, civil place for all Members and staff — especially as many offices are discussing reopening. One Member has already been forced to relocate her office due to Congresswoman Greene’s attacks.”
Greene brazenly acknowledged the encounter, tweeting later that day, “Just talked to @AOC again. You chickened out bc you are too scared to debate me about your Socialist Green New Deal.”
This is not the first time Greene has tried to seek out the New York congresswoman. CNN reported another incident from February 22, 2019, when the not-yet-elected Greene visited the Capitol complex and heckled Ocasio-Cortez’s staff from outside the congresswoman’s office. Greene was joined by Anthony Aguero who was later seen among the rioters in the Capitol on January 6.
In a Facebook Live video that has been deleted but was saved by a network reporter, Greene can be seen outside the office, talking into the mail slot of the door.
Mispronouncing “Ocasio,” Greene said, “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, I’m an American citizen. I pay your salary through the taxes that you collect for me through the IRS because I’m a taxpaying citizen of the United States.”
She continued, “So you need to stop being a baby and stop locking your door and come out and face the American citizens that you serve. If you want to be a big girl, you need to get rid of your diaper and come out and be able to talk to the American citizens. Instead of having to use a flap, a little flap. Sad.”
When asked about the recent brush with Greene, Ocasio-Cortez said Friday, “This is a woman that’s deeply unwell and clearly needs some help and her kind of fixation has lasted for several years now. At this point, I think, the depth of that un-wellness has raised concerns for other members as well.”
This piece has been updated throughout.
