Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) is facing widespread ridicule for attacking the US military for waiting to shoot down the Chinese spy balloon that was spotted over the American Northwest last week until it drifted out to sea and no longer posed a threat to people on the ground.
Speaking to a roomful of her constituents this weekend, Greene that she disagreed with the pentagon’s decision to wait to shoot down the Chinese spy balloon until it was safe to do so, and suggested that the government’s patient solution risked one of her conspiracy theories coming to fruition.
The Pentagon explained at the time that blowing up the surveillance instrument over land risked damaging property and injuring civilians.
“Anytime you down something like this, we make an assumption that that potential exists,” Air Force General Glen VanHerck, the head of US North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and Northern Command (NORCOM), clarified to reporters. “We did not associate the potential of having explosives with a threat to dropping weapons, those kinds of things, but out of a precaution, abundance of safety for not only our military people in the public, we have to make assumptions such as that.”
Greene, however, told her supporters that she disagrees with the military’s rationale.
“I’m pretty sure, I’m pretty sure I’m right about how you think and feel because it’s the way I think and feel and I try to take your voice with me in Washington, ” Greene told her supporter. “And so when it got to be my turn, I said to them, gentlemen, I respect and I’m grateful for your service to our country. Because after all, they were sitting up there with their beautiful uniforms. And I’m telling you, I come from a military family. My father was in the Navy. He served in Vietnam. I have many other family members that served in the military. Respect our military. I respect our veterans. I said, ‘I respect you, and I thank you for your service. I respect your positions, but this is also why I have high expectations of you and from you.'”
The far-right lawmaker then descended into a series of conspiracy theories.
“And you allowed, allowed, you set by and allowed this Chinese spy balloon that could have contained a bioweapon like COVID. It could have contained a nuclear bomb, an EMP attack, or hypersonic missiles like the Chinese government, the CCP, has shown their own people of these weather balloons dropping hypersonic missiles. They show those on video, absolutely. This is a common thing. They allowed, I said, ‘you allowed this to go across the country, and then you wanna stand up here and give us, give us our excuses, your excuses on why you didn’t shoot it down, because you’re gathering intelligence or you didn’t wanna risk endangering anyone’s lives?”
“I said, ‘that is the biggest bunch of bullsh*t,'” Greene concluded.
Naturally, Twitter users had a lot to say about her military expertise.
Check the video of her remarks and some of the reactions below.
Marjorie Taylor Greene called the military’s rationale for not immediately shooting down the spy ballon, “bullshit.” pic.twitter.com/skjlg5PDV4
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) February 12, 2023
She is an expert.
After all, as a child she swallowed many balloons, some deflated.
— lgambill (@lgambill1) February 12, 2023
She’s a national security expert now? pic.twitter.com/CM54O8lv3x
— Suzanne W. 💙🇺🇸♐️ 🐳 Never forget January 6 (@Book_Lady_127) February 12, 2023
MTG graphic reminder of the perils of leaded drinking water.
— 🏒🥁Charles Primm 🥁🎸 (@charlestprimm1) February 12, 2023
Is this a good time to re-up this 👇🏻https://t.co/4tKWQBtq9C
— Ava (@Annie1But) February 12, 2023
I knew they should have consulted the gazpacho police.
— I'm a-Paul-ed (@PaultheAtheist) February 12, 2023
— steve cappy (@stevecapa) February 12, 2023
Because with her vast knowledge of how the military works, weaponry, China and espionage operations she has been on Facebook so she knows more than career diplomats and military experts
— Suzanne St.Onge 🇺🇦 (@OngeSuzanne) February 12, 2023
So comforting to know that we have a Congresswoman that is more knowledgeable then experienced military personnel!
— Scarey (@scareescarey) February 12, 2023
