Linda Beigel Schulman, the mother of a teacher who was killed in the Parkland school shooting, issued an emotional plea to Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) on Monday to publicly come forward and disavow conspiracy theories the congresswoman pushed in the past.
During an interview on CNN, Schulman described her recent conversation with Greene, who has faced backlash for her inflammatory comments that have resurfaced, which include heckling Parkland survivors prior to her time serving in Congress.
Schulman recalled asking Greene whether she truly believed that the Parkland and Sandy Hook shooting massacres were false flags.
“She looked at me straight in my face and she said, ‘No, I don’t,’” Schulmann said.
Asked whether she took Greene at her word, Schulman replied that she did.
“I don’t know what conspiracy theories do for her, but honestly, it’s hard for me to believe, especially after having a conversation with her, that she ever believed that they were false flags or staged events,” Schulman said.
Schulman added that she had the consent of Greene to share details of their call, which was initially intended to be a confidential conversation, publicly before stating that she won’t speak on the Republican House member’s behalf.
Schulman then implored Greene to “come forward” and explain her conspiracy-ridden comments. However, Schulman claimed that Greene told her that she never actually said her controversial comments, and that “it was really all the media.”
After CNN anchor Brianna Keilar debunked Greene’s media-blaming assertion, Keilar asked Schulman to expand on her demand that Greene come forward to publicly denounce the conspiracies she spouted.
“Her refusal to make a public statement makes it even worse,” Schulman said. “We all have to look in the mirror and so does she. The fact that politics makes her — I have to believe it’s all politics that are making her just not come forward, and, you know, politics should never trump the truth.”
Later in the interview, Schulman went on to compare conspiracy theories to “a virus that infects a host” and that the country is “kind of like the host that’s been infected.”
Schulman declined to weigh in on whether Greene should be booted from Congress, but she argued that Greene has “no right” to sit on the House Education and Labor Committee unless she comes forward and acknowledges that the Parkland shooting wasn’t staged.
“And if she can deny what really happened, whether it be kids or teachers or husbands or whatever, she has no right being on an education committee,” Schulman said. “The rest I really leave up to the politicians to take care of.”
Schulman teared up as she described how Feb. 14 is “really, really hard” day for her because she misses her son who was killed in the Parkland shooting “terribly.”
“So I do say to Marjorie Taylor Greene: please, you know what, find your conscience,” Schulman said. “You’re a mother — man up or woman up, whatever you want to say — and tell the truth. Tell everybody what you told me.”
Schulman’s remarks come a week after Fred Guttenberg, the father of one of the 17 people killed during the 2018 Parkland shooting, and Parkland survivor David Hogg issued a blistering rebuke of Greene and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) inaction to address the incendiary House member a day after a video of Greene harassing Parkland victims went viral.
Greene, who is expected to meet with McCarthy this week over her troubling behavior, claimed that she will also visit former President Trump “soon.” On Saturday, Greene flaunted having a “GREAT call” with Trump, amplifying concerns of the former president’s influence on the GOP.
“I’m excited to go visit him soon and continue to give him a call and talk to him frequently,” Greene told OANN on Monday. “Great news is, he supports me 100 percent, and I’ve always supported him. President Trump is always here for the people, and he’s not going anywhere. So I look forward to, to joining him and what his future plans may be.”
Watch Schulman’s remarks below:
Linda Beigel Schulman, mother of a Parkland shooting victim, on GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene: “Unless she acknowledges that the massacre wasn’t staged and it’s not a false flag… and all those people were murdered… she has no right being on an education committee.” pic.twitter.com/yIdB5Q5HEq
— CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) February 1, 2021
