Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) introduced a resolution Friday to expel far-right conspiracy theorist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-Ga.) from Congress.
The resolution, co-sponsored by 72 House Democrats and zero Republicans, would permanently expel Greene from Congress after her numerous false and dangerous claims, including that school shootings are staged and that a rich Jewish family is using space lasers to start forest fires, among other conspiracy theories. Greene has also previously expressed her strong support for QAnon, an absurd and false conspiracy movement that posits there are cannibal-pedophiles who have infiltrated the highest levels of government, media and entertainment.
The resolution would require bipartisan support for House Democrats to get the two-thirds supermajority needed to pass the bill, making Gomez’s attempt to oust Greene unlikely to succeed.
Still, Gomez has been vocal about expelling Greene since the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection that Greene helped incite and that ultimately left five people dead that day. In an interview with HuffPost in January following the insurrection, Gomez said he feared for his safety knowing that Greene would continue to be a member of the House.
“And I know that after Jan. 6, members, including myself, are very, very nervous of [Greene and other extremist House Republicans], because they can bring guns to the House office buildings,” Gomez told HuffPost. “They’re not supposed to bring them onto the floor — and that’s why we’ve put metal detectors in place — but she is one of them that keeps walking around the metal detectors, which is against the rules, against the Capitol Police who are there trying to make sure everybody’s safe. So a lot of us are nervous of the new members that are there. I try to keep my distance from her, but it is deeply concerning.”
Since then, Gomez has been working to convince House Republicans to support his resolution. In February, Greene was successfully removed from her committee assignments with the help of 11 Republicans who voted with Democrats to remove her. But this time, while there has been “interest” from some House Republicans to expel Greene, none have decided to join the effort due to “concerns regarding threats of violence and political retribution,” Eric Harris, a spokesperson for Gomez, told Forbes.