Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) called Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) a “chicken” and “pathetic” after the New York congresswoman declined to engage with Greene, who was shouting accusations that she supported “terrorists” while the two exited the House floor.
“She’s a chicken, she doesn’t want to debate the Green New Deal,” Greene told reporters after the attempt to confront Ocasio-Cortez. “They need to defend their legislation to the people. That’s pathetic.”
Referring to Ocasio-Cortez as “Alexandria,” Greene asked her at a shout why she supported Black Lives Matter and “antifa,” groups Greene characterized as “terrorists,” according to Washington Post reporters who witnessed the incident. Ocasio-Cortez reportedly did not stop walking, though at one point threw up her hands in exasperation.
It’s not the first time Greene has sought out Ocasio-Cortez.
In April, she posted a picture of the two of them talking on the House floor, crowing that she’d challenged Ocasio-Cortez to debate the Green New Deal. Her tweet was heartily mocked, as it revealed that she hadn’t actually read the document she so frequently criticizes.
I’m glad I ran into you today @AOC to plan our debate about the Green New Deal.
After I finish reading all 14 pages, like we agreed, I’ll schedule time for our debate.#MTGvsAOC pic.twitter.com/viuH5Uj0oD
— Marjorie Taylor Greene ?? (@mtgreenee) April 21, 2021
Ocasio-Cortez’s office did not immediately respond to TPM’s inquiries, but indicated to the Post that there are some concerns for the congresswoman’s safety.
“We hope leadership and the Sergeant at Arms will take real steps to make Congress a safe, civil place for all Members and staff — especially as many offices are discussing reopening,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “One Member has already been forced to relocate her office due to Congresswoman Greene’s attacks.”
That member is Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), who tweeted in January that “a maskless Marjorie Taylor Greene & her staff berated me in a hallway. She targeted me & others on social media. I’m moving my office away from hers for my team’s safety.”
Greene’s office said that Bush started the confrontation — Bush did not deny that she repeatedly asked Greene to put on a mask — calling her the “instigator.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) ordered that Bush’s office be moved.
Greene, who was propelled to office on the wave of her prolific and oftentimes conspiratorial social media presence, has brought her trademark aggression and baseless accusations to Congress as well. She was stripped of all committee assignments roughly a month into her term after threatening images from her social media accounts were unearthed.
In one of them, used by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) in an emotional presentation to the House, Greene was holding a machine gun next to Ocasio-Cortez and other members of the “the squad.” She captioned it “DEFEAT THE DEMOCRATS.”
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) refused to punish her, and only 11 House Republicans voted with the Democrats to remove her from her committees. Most Republicans said it would be bad “precedent” to both punish a member for something they did before being elected, and for the majority to remove a member of the minority from her committees.
Greene gave a press conference soon after, ostensibly to give her side of the story, though it quickly devolved into conspiracy theories and media criticism.
Most recently, she teamed up with the embattled Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to hold “America First” rallies to gin up supporters of former President Donald Trump.
