Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) spoke out against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) on Monday night for espousing far-right conspiracy theories, several of which include false claims that the Sandy Hook and Parkland school shootings were faked.
“Loony lies and conspiracy theories are cancer for the Republican Party and our country,” McConnell said in a statement that did not mention Greene by name. “Somebody who’s suggested that perhaps no airplane hit the Pentagon on 9/11, that horrifying school shootings were pre-staged, and that the Clintons crashed JFK Jr.’s airplane is not living in reality.”
“This has nothing to do with the challenges facing American families or the robust debates on substance that can strengthen our party,” he added.
Greene hit back at the Senate GOP leader, tweeting that “the real cancer” for the GOP “is weak Republicans who only know how to lose gracefully.”
Few Republicans have addressed Greene’s extremist beliefs and her endorsement of violence against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and other Democrats. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who is expected to meet with the Georgia Republican sometime this week, has remained publicly silent on the issue.
McConnell also waded in another House GOP divide on Monday night with a separate statement defending Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), who’s been slammed with calls to give up her role as House Republican Conference Chair by the Trump devotees in her caucus after she voted to impeach the former president.
“Liz Cheney is a leader with deep convictions and the courage to act on them,” McConnell said. “She is an important leader in our party and in our nation. I am grateful for her service and look forward to continuing to work with her on the crucial issues facing our nation.”
