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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 2 March 2022
GOP torn as Greene speaks to far right amid ‘Putin!’ chants

By LISA MASCARO could speak to the large
WASHINGTON (AP) — Re- crowd.
publican leaders in Con- But the organization is not
gress are torn over what to unfamiliar to Greene or
do with Rep. Marjorie Tay- several other Republicans
lor Greene after the con- in Congress including Rep.
gresswoman spoke at a Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who has
weekend event organized said they had briefly con-
by a white nationalist who sidered forming an Amer-
marveled over Russia’s in- ica First Caucus in Con-
vasion of Ukraine as the gress. Another, Rep. Paul
crowd erupted in chants of Gosar, R-Ariz., who has also
“Putin!” House Republican spoken to the group.
leader Kevin McCarthy The America First Political
called the congresswom- Action Committee was
an’s speech on the same launched by Nick Fuen-
stage “unacceptable.” tes, who is considered by
Senate Republican lead- anti-hate groups as a white
er Mitch McConnell said nationalist. He grew to
“there’s no place in the prominence after the 2017
Republican Party for white neo-Nazi march in Charlot-
supremacists.” tesville that brought the far-
Yet it’s unclear whether right’s enthusiasm for Don-
Greene will face any fur- Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., answers questions during a panel discussion at the Conservative ald Trump into the streets
ther reprimand or rebuke Political Action Conference (CPAC) Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. during the first year of his
for what is now an ongoing Associated Press presidency. q
pattern of startling behav- ern-style democracy. This
ior. McCarthy had previ- is not the first time Greene,
ously suggested the Geor- of Georgia, has broken the
gia congresswoman, who norms of political behavior
is now barred by Demo- by associating with extrem-
crats from committees, ist groups, espousing con-
would enjoy a promotion i spiracy theories or musing
f Republicans take control about violence against
of the House. It all shows politicians she disagrees
the difficulty Republican with. Shortly after taking off
leaders have combating in 2021, the House voted
the party’s drift toward to strip the new lawmaker
Trump-style authoritarian- of committee assignments
ism and embracing right- over her views and actions,
wing extremism. in a largely party-line vote.
“This may be a chance to “For me, it was appalling
burn out the cancer of the and wrong,” McCarthy
Republican Party — those told reporters at the Capi-
that are, you know, Putin tol late Monday.
sympathetic,” said Rep. Asked to elaborate Tues-
Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., a day as cameras were roll-
former military fighter pilot ing during a press confer-
who broke with his party ence at the Capitol, Mc-
over the Trump presidency. Carthy demurred, declin-
But he worries that McCar- ing further response, as
thy and other GOP lead- other Republican leaders
ers will stop short of kicking and lawmakers stood by.
Greene out of the party. “There’s no place in our
“He won’t because she party for any of this,” he
has power, let’s be honest, had said. McConnell of-
but I’m embarrassed by it.” fered no public comments,
The scrutiny over the con- but said in a statement
gresswoman, who remains from his office: ‘There’s no
an outlier on Capitol Hill, place in the Republican
comes as most of Congress Party for white suprema-
is largely unified in its con- cists or anti-Semitism.”
demnation of Russian Presi- Greene defended her ap-
dent Vladimir Putin and its pearance at the America
support of Ukraine. Ahead First Political Action Com-
of President Joe Biden’s first mittee event, saying she
State of the Union address, will continue sharing her
the invasion has proven to message to “every corner”
be a rare moment of com- of the U.S. She has said she
mon ground amid Demo- did not personally know
crats and Republicans as the organizer or his beliefs,
the U.S. defends the West- and participated so she