Marjorie Taylor Greene’s conspiracies pose threat to politics

Following the end of the Trump Administration, the Republican Party appeared at a crossroads: build off his fervent fanbase or distance themselves from it. There has been a gulf between far-right politicians and more moderate members of the party.

Enter Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has disrupted the foundations of traditional politics and presented herself as the Trumpian torch bearer after just a month of being in office.

The House voted to remove Greene from her committee assignments on Feb. 4, citing her history of violent sentiments, such as liking a Facebook comment that said “a bullet to the head would be quicker” in removing Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and claiming that the 2018 California wildfires were caused by a “Jewish space laser.”

The congresswoman, who represents Georgia’s 14th district, has become the political representative of right-wing conspiracy theorists. She has embraced QAnon, a group that promotes an internet-based conspiracy that Trump will take down a child sex-trafficking ring made up of the world’s elite. QAnon has since evolved into the base of many far-right extremist conspiracy theories and ideologies.

These claims have been disproven and discredited. However, they have continually sparked violent far-right supporters, many of whom led the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.

The vote to remove Greene from her committees passed 230-199, with every Democrat voting yes, and just 11 of the 210 House Republicans crossing the party line. This came as House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) tried to distance his caucus from Greene’s sentiments while still voting in support of her.

“Past comments from and endorsed by Marjorie Taylor Greene on school shootings, political violence, and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories do not represent the values or beliefs of the House Republican Conference,” McCarthy said. “This House condemned QAnon last Congress and continues to do so today.”

Even though McCarthy said this, congressional Republicans continue to show where their loyalties lie.

It is even more telling following the House GOP’s privately voting whether to remove Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) from her post after her vote to impeach former President Trump. Sixty-one Republicans anonymously voted against their fellow party member, because of her stance against Trump. Cheney retained her party leadership.

Acceptance of Greene’s ideology is another example of some Republicans welcoming baseless conspiracies into the political world. It is the same security Trump gave his supporters while in office, leading to five people being killed during the Jan. 6 insurrection. Though Greene has been removed from her committees, the Georgian congresswoman may be more influential than ever. Now, she has much of the Republican Party indirectly supporting her extremist rhetoric.

“Going forward, I’ve been freed,” she said following the House hearings. “I have a lot of free time on my hands, which means I can talk to a whole lot more people all over this country and . . . make connections and build a huge amount of support that I’ve already got started with.”

Greene, along with Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.), have become primary figures of the Trumpism movement. They have shown a disregard of facts in favor of pushing a political agenda.

This is a dangerous precedent for contemporary politics during an age where technology makes conspiracies more transmissible. It has also begun spreading globally, with thousands of QAnon accounts starting in European countries. It falls on the U.S. to now rebuild confidence and trust in the government, keeping conspiracists like Greene from growing their influence and changing politics forever.