Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene testified Friday that she did not recall nearly any of the tweets, quotes, communication, or events she partook in or was associated with during the lead-up to the Jan. 6 riot in 2021 during a hearing into her eligibility for reelection.
Greene consistently said that she did not recall evidence the prosecutor posed to her, especially quotes attributed to her by CNN. The Georgia Republican, no stranger to controversy, is accused of insurrection under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment for her alleged involvement or incitement of the riot that saw protesters violently push into the Capitol building.
In the courtroom of Judge Charles Beaudrot from the Office of State Administrative Hearings for the State of Georgia, Greene said she had no memory of the dozens of news story quotations or the tweets her account had liked or retweeted, along with other documentation such as her congressional schedule that Andrew Celli, a lawyer for Free Speech for People, used as evidence for her sympathy for the violent riot.
“You’re using CNN, and they’ve chalked up my words so many times,” she told him regarding a quote the outlet attributed to her. “They’ve lied about me so many times. I mean, you sound like you have as many conspiracy theories as QAnon at this point.”
INSIDE THE EFFORT TO KICK MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE OFF THE BALLOT
Celli then showed her a video she had made of herself saying the disputed quote in which she advocated protesters to “flood the Capitol building” during a 2019 protest. Greene then took credit for that after confirming that seeing herself say it jogged her memory.
Greene was elusive regarding what she thought constituted unlawful interference with counting the votes to certify a presidential election. When Celli asked if she believed that anyone’s hypothetical unlawful meddling with the vote count would make them an “enemy of the Constitution,” Greene argued with him about definitions.
“I don’t know. I don’t know if it defines it that way,” she said.
Early on in his examination, Celli complained that Greene was an unhelpful witness as she deflected his questions.
“Can I ask the court to acknowledge that this is an adverse witness, a hostile witness?” he asked. “And I would ask the court to remind the witness that in this posture, she has to answer my questions. She can’t give speeches.”
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The hearing is to gather evidence so that the judge can make a recommendation to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in deciding whether she can remain on the ballot. His decision would then be eligible for appeal.
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment is a Civil War-era clause to prohibit from election from public office anyone who “shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the” United States or has “given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.” Other legal campaigns under this clause against lawmakers who were allegedly connected to the Jan. 6 riot have failed.
