Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” outgoing Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) called on Republican leaders to “stand up” to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) over her past rhetoric.
Anchor Dana Bash said, “I know you’re in the Senate, not the House. You were in the House a long time. This isn’t about telling them what to do but a question about what I think right and wrong, and this is about Marjorie Taylor Greene, who, as you know, believes the dangerous QAnon conspiracy theories. She has spread anti-semitic conspiracies, claimed school shootings are false flag operations, and so on. She has so far faced zero repercussions from what she has said and the ideas that she is spewing. So as a Republican leader who does not want to be silent, do you think that she should be punished or somehow it should be shown that she is an example of how that kind of stuff is not tolerated in the GOP?”
Portman said, “I think Republican leaders ought to stand up and say it is totally unacceptable what she has said. I saw a couple of videos over the weekend, and one had to do with violence as I see it. There is no place for violence in our political dialogue. By the way, there is no place for violence in our country. I mean, this is something we got to get away from. So yeah, I think people ought to speak out clearly.”
Bash inserted, “Should she be stripped of her committee assignment?”
Portman said, “I assume that is something they’re looking at, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that happens. You know, I think that is the way to send a message. The voters who elected her in her district in Georgia, you know, ought to be respected. On the other hand, when that kind of behavior occurs, there has to be a strong response.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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