On Monday, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., apologized for making a series of remarks comparing coronavirus-related prohibitions and restrictions to Nazi Germany’s treatment of Jews.
Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Illinois, stated that he and other members would introduce a resolution to censure her for the remarks, which were widely criticized as anti-Semitic by both Republicans and Democrats.
When @RepMTG repeatedly compared the US Covid-response to Hitler and the Holocaust, she dishonored the millions of lives lost in WWII and the Shoah. She has forgotten America’s fight against the Nazi menace.
On Wednesday, we’re introducing our resolution to censure her.
— Rep. Brad Schneider (@RepSchneider) June 14, 2021
“I know that words that I have stated were hurtful, and for that, I’m very sorry,” Greene stated outside the U.S. Capitol.
Greene stated that she had visited the Holocaust Museum in Washington earlier in the day on Monday and “there’s nothing comparable to it.”
“It happened, and, you know, over 6 million Jewish people were murdered,” she said.
The 47-year-old freshman congresswoman’s apology was a complete 180-degree turn from her previous position.
Back in May, Greene compared a mask mandate on the House floor to the Holocaust, saying, “We can look back in a time in history where people were told to wear a gold star and they were definitely treated like second-class citizens — so much so that they were put in trains and taken to gas chambers in Nazi Germany.”
Days later, Greene made a similar comparison on Twitter tweeting, “Vaccinated employees get a vaccination logo just like the Nazis forced Jewish people to wear a gold star.”
Vaccinated employees get a vaccination logo just like the Nazi’s forced Jewish people to wear a gold star.
Vaccine passports & mask mandates create discrimination against unvaxxed people who trust their immune systems to a virus that is 99% survivable.https://t.co/6X6VNolcA7
— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) May 25, 2021
She was replying to a story in a local Tennessee newspaper about the supermarket company Food City, which announced that fully vaccinated employees will be required to wear a logo on their name tag.
Greene’s parallels were promptly condemned as “appalling” by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who has previously resisted Democratic efforts to punish Greene for a range of extreme statements and fringe ideas.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called Greene’s comments were “outrageous” and “reprehensible.”
is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, please visit: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Greene had vigorously defended the statements at the time, despite harsh criticism from fellow Republicans.
“I never compared it to the Holocaust, only the discrimination against Jews in early Nazi years. Stop feeding into the left-wing media attacks on me,” Greene complained to one conservative commentator in a May 25 tweet.
Greene, whose previous fiery remarks had already resulted in Democrats stripping her of her committee assignments, apologized at a press conference on Monday afternoon.
She began by mentioning her father’s death in April. She explained that he had taught her that “when you make a mistake, you should own it.”
“I have made a mistake, and it’s really bothered me for a couple of weeks now.”
Greene remained adamant that requiring individuals to wear masks or receive vaccines is Greene remained adamant that requiring individuals to wear masks or receive vaccines is “a type of discrimination, and I’m very much opposed to that form of discrimination.”
“What I would like to say is I’m removing that statement completely away from what I had said before” about the Holocaust, she said.
