Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) and Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) got into a heated exchange at Thursday’s House Oversight meeting. The meeting focused on GOP efforts to hold U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress. Garland refuses to release audio recordings of President Joe Biden‘s interview with special counsel Robert Hur.

The conversation veered when Greene tried to connect Democrats to Judge Juan Merchan overseeing former President Donald Trump‘s hush-money trial. Greene also asked if any Democrats employed Merchan’s daughter, a specific attack that led to Trump’s gag order. Trump previously took to Truth Social to insult Merchan’s daughter, claiming she worked for “Crooked Joe Biden.”

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) jumped in on Greene’s rant. “Please tell me what that has to do with Merrick Garland?” Crockett questioned. “Do you know what we’re here for? You know we’re here about AG Garland?”

Chaos ensued in the House after Greene insulted Crockett’s physical appearance. “I don’t think you know what you’re here for,” Greene said. “I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what you’re reading.”

Though the comment was directed at Crockett, Ocasio-Cortez jumped in against Greene after Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland) said, “That beneath even you, Miss Greene.”

Ocasio-Cortez called for Greene to withdraw her statement, which “violated the rules of decorum in the House.” Ocasio-Cortez and Greene then engaged in a heated exchange.

“This is absolutely unacceptable. How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person?” Ocasio-Cortez said.

“Are your feelings hurt?” Greene fired back.

Ocasio-Cortez and Greene went back and forth with Ocasio-Cortez demanding Greene’s words be withdrawn. Greene also repeatedly refused to apologize for the insult. Rep. James Comer (R-Kentucky) struggled to maintain order. Greene later insulted Ocasio-Cortez, claiming she “[didn’t] have enough intelligence” to debate her.

Greene eventually agreed to strike her words but still did not apologize. Crockett jumped in, asking Comer, “I’m just curious, just to better understand your ruling. If someone on this committee then starts talking about somebody’s bleach-blonde, bad-built, butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct?”

After a five-minute recess, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado) stated, “When things get as heated as they have, unfortunately, it’s an embarrassment on our body as a whole.”

On Sunday, Crockett called Greene a “racist.” She told CNN, “Women wear makeup, we wear lashes, we wear all types of things to beautify ourselves. But MAGA has historically been on social media doing the things where they’re saying, ‘Oh she’s black with lashes and nails and hair, and so she’s ghetto.’ And so, to me, this was [Greene] buying into that rhetoric and trying to amplify this for the MAGA crowd.”

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Ann Hoang

Article by Ann Hoang

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