USA
Judge: US Republican Rep. Greene allowed to run
Republican Assemblyman Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill. Photo: Carol Guzy/ZUMA Wire/dpa
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Her role in the Capitol attack disqualifies Marjorie Taylor Greene from a constituency’s perspective as a congresswoman. The responsible judge lacks the evidence for this.
US Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, known for spreading right-wing conspiracy theories, is entitled to run again, according to a judge.
A group of voters who had challenged their eligibility could not prove that Greene instigated a riot after taking office, Judge Charles Beaudrot said in the verdict. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger acknowledged the decision. It was considered unlikely that Republican Raffensperger would ignore the judge’s recommendation and disqualify Greene himself.
Greene won a seat in the US House of Representatives for the state of Georgia in late 2020. She wants to run again in the congressional elections at the end of this year. She is one of the most loyal supporters of ex-President Donald Trump. She repeatedly spread right-wing conspiracy theories and, for example, expressed the suspicion that authorities such as the FBI federal police could have been involved in the storming of the Capitol. She had also attracted attention with theses of the QAnon conspiracy theory.
A group of voters had now tried to challenge their eligibility over Greene’s role in the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021. “There is no evidence that Rep. Greene was involved in the invasion herself,” Beaudrot said. The complainants were also unable to prove that after taking their oaths of office in early January 2021, Greene communicated with or gave instructions to persons involved in the attack. “Their public statements and heated rhetoric may well have contributed to the environment that ultimately led to the invasion.” But that’s not enough.