Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is being offered a serving of “cookie diplomacy” from Guam after she referred to it as a foreign country that shouldn’t receive aid from the United States.
The freshman Republican congresswoman from Georgia stirred disquiet among those from the U.S. territory with her remarks during a Feb. 27 speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Florida.
“I’m a regular, normal person. And I wanted to take my regular, normal person, normal, everyday American values, which is: We love our country. We believe our hard-earned tax dollars should just go for America, not for … China, Russia, the Middle East, Guam, whatever, wherever,” Greene said.
Video of the speech was posted online on Tuesday and prompted a response from Guam Del. Michael San Nicolas, who first touted his concept of “cookie diplomacy” in Congress last year during his annual address, the Guam Daily Post reported.
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“Congresswoman Greene is a new member, and we will be paying a visit to her and delivering delicious Chamorro Chip Cookies as part of our ongoing outreach to new members to introduce them to our wonderful island of Guam,” Nicolas said.
Chamorro Chip Cookies are regularly seen on flights to Guam and a common staple in military care packages. The cookies typically have chocolate chunks and are crispy, sometimes including macadamia nuts, according to the island’s Chamorro Chip Cafe.
Former chairman of the Guam GOP, Phil Flores, called Greene’s office, but since she was not available, he spoke to one of Greene’s assistants instead.
“I said, ‘Guam is a part of America. We have been for 122 years,'” Flores said. “I’m calling to educate her.”
Flores said Greene’s flub was “disappointing,” but he acknowledged that he’s come across other people from across the U.S. who believed Guam was located in the continent of Africa.
Guam’s residents are U.S. citizens. The island is located about 3,960 miles west of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean.
The office of Guam Gov. Lourdes Aflague Leon Guerrero, a Democrat, also remarked on the flub.
“We would be more than happy to send Rep. Greene’s office a copy of Destiny’s Landfall: A History of Guam,” said Krystal Paco-San Agustin, the director of communications for the governor.
Greene would not be the first elected official to make a blunder when talking about the U.S. unincorporated island territory of Guam.
In 2010, Rep. Hank Johnson made headlines when he voiced concerns about a planned Navy building on the territory, saying, “My fear is that the whole island will become so overly populated that it will tip over and capsize.” The Georgia Democrat later released a statement, saying: “The subtle humor of this obviously metaphorical reference to a ship capsizing illustrated my concern about the impact of the planned military buildup on this small tropical island.”
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Greene, who also hails from Georgia, was stripped of her committee assignments in February after House Democrats voted to remove her, citing past incendiary social media statements.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Greene’s office but did not immediately receive a response.
