Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) on Thursday defended her actions against Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and demanded to be treated with “civility and respect” after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi slammed the QAnon congresswoman for her uncivil behavior and hinted at ethics violation sanctions against Greene.
Greene also fired back at AOC for comparing her to a drunken bar patron.
“I used to work as a bartender. These are the kinds of people that I threw out of bars all the time,” Ocasio-Cortez told reporters on Capitol Hill.
“So she throws out paying customers. Is that how she feels? She throws out paying customers, is what she’s saying?” Greene said in response to a reporter who relayed how Ocasio-Cortez comments, according to The Hill.
“You know, it would be nice if they would treat us civilly. But ever since Jan. 6, they can’t even treat us with respect. And we were just as much as victims of the riot here, too. We didn’t cause it,” Greene continued. “All these lies that they say on and on and on. You know, they need to be civil. None of them are civil to me.
“I was telling her, you need to debate me, you need to defend your policy,” she added. “There is nothing wrong with that.”
Ocasio-Cortez’s office has expressed concerns about security for congressional members and staff after the incident.
“We hope leadership and the Sergeant at Arms will take real steps to make Congress a safe, civil place for all Members and staff — especially as many offices are discussing reopening. One Member has already been forced to relocate her office due to Congresswoman Greene’s attacks,” a spokesperson for her office, Lauren Hitt, told the Washington Post.
Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), who has introduced a resolution to expel Greene from Congress, sported an “Expel MTG” mask in the Capitol on Thursday as he sought more co-sponsors after the Ocasio-Cortez incident.
“She’s still a threat. She assaulted one of my colleagues, a friend of mine. And I think it’s time for us to take a vote on the resolution,” Gomez said.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday described Greene’s confrontation with Ocasio-Cortez as a “verbal assault,” and warned the situation could be a matter for the House Ethics Committee.
Pelosi called Greene’s behavior “so beyond the pale of anything that is in keeping with bringing honor to the House.”
