Background: Past social media posts show Greene expressing support for QAnon and 9/11 conspiracy theories, and suggesting that school shootings in Parkland and Newtown were "false flag" operations to crack down on the Second Amendment.
- She has also accused top Democrats like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of "treason" and "liked" comments calling for her to be executed.
- On Thursday, just before the vote began, Greene acknowledged on the House floor that "school shootings are absolutely real" and "9/11 absolutely happened," but argued that the media has taken her words out of context and that she never campaigned on QAnon or conspiracies.
- She concluded: "Will we allow the media, which is just as guilty as QAnon at presenting truth and lies, to divide us?"
The big picture: Many GOP lawmakers were frustrated that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was unable to reach an agreement with Democratic leadership, which forced them to cast this difficult vote.
- Some believe it sets a dangerous precedent in which a majority party can target a minority lawmaker for comments they made before being elected, with McCarthy condemning the move in a statement as a "partisan power grab."
- Pelosi told reporters Thursday: "If anybody starts threatening the lives of members of Congress on the Democratic side, we’d be the first to eliminate them from committees. [Republicans] had the opportunity to do so."
The bottom line: Greene has received strong support from former President Trump and will continue fundraising off of Democratic attempts to condemn her. The controversy over her stripping her of committees assignments has shone a light on the divisions within the Republican Party.
Go deeper: Poll shows Republicans favor Greene over Liz Cheney
