Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Republican Congresswoman of Georgia, has put heat on the Republican Party to cast their votes to censure Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib. Following her inflammatory remarks in February, Tlaib is facing censure from the House of Representatives.
The freshman congresswoman is facing a House vote called upon by House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy to censure her for comments she made regarding the Holocaust. Critics have called her out for her comparison of the atrocity to how the Palestinians are treated by the Israeli people.
Greene has been a very vocal supporter of McCarthy’s call to censure Tlaib. She has put pressure on her own party, the Republican party, to back McCarthy’s motion. However, some Republicans are apprehensive about taking such a public stance against one of their colleagues.
In February she spoke on the pro-Trump news website Newsmax and said, “It’s a 100 percent fact that the leader of the Republican party in the House is Kevin McCarthy and he ordered this censure and he believes that the comments Rashida made on the floor comparing the Holocaust to what the Israelis are doing to Palestinians is wrong, it’s disgusting, it’s a disgrace. That’s why he’s ordered the censure.”
Greene went on to say that the Republican Party “will always stand on the right side of history and we stand with Israel”. She also said that as a Republican she will always oppose anti-Semitism “no matter where it comes from”.
Greene’s comments have prompted some soul-searching among Republicans, who have had to grapple with their own anti-Semitism issues and decide whether they should publicly reprimand Tlaib. This is a difficult decision due to their own allegiances and beliefs.
Greene is perhaps one of the biggest conservative voices to openly condemn the Congresswoman’s remarks. She has put a renewed pressure on Republicans to take a hard stance on Tlaib’s remarks and take part in McCarthy’s call for “censure, reprimand, or other appropriate action” against her.
The result of the House vote is yet to be seen, but it is clear Greene’s call to action has put the Republican Party in a difficult position. Depending on their votes and their response to Greene’s pressure, the Republican Party is sure to come away with a new perspective on what the appropriate and moral course of action is.
