Sherrill Joins Bipartisan Move Ousting Colleague From Committees

PARSIPPANY, NJ — U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was removed from her position on two House committees following a House vote Thursday. The action follows backlash, criticism and calls for Greene's resignation due to the Republican's history of supporting controversial conspiracy theories, including QAnon, and her social media support for threats of violence against House leaders.

One of those who voted on the bipartisan measure was Democratic U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill from New Jersey's 11th District.

“Today’s resolution to remove Rep. Greene from her committees is an unprecedented action for an unprecedented situation. Rep. Greene has unabashedly supported conspiracy theories, racist and anti-Semitic ideology, and promoted the murder of elected officials," Sherrill said. "When asked by her own leadership to publicly apologize, she refused, and instead chose to double down on her hateful and conspiratorial statements."

Greene, the representative of Georgia's 14th District, was set to serve on the Education and Labor Committee and the Budget Committee. Some representatives, including California Rep. Jimmy Gomez, a Democrat, have pushed for her expulsion from Congress altogether.

In Thursday's vote, 221 Democrats voted in favor of removing Greene from her committees, and 11 Republicans voted for the resolution as well. No Democrats and 199 Republicans voted in opposition. Sherrill noted the contrast between this situation and a previous one two years ago.

“I had hoped not to have to take today’s vote to remove Rep. Greene from the Budget Committee and my committee of jurisdiction, the Education and Labor Committee. I had joined a letter to the Republican Conference asking them not to seat her on Ed and Labor, and I hoped that they would follow the precedent they themselves set in 2019, when Representative Steve King defended and promoted white nationalism. The Republican Conference took action and stripped him of his committee assignments after he refused to back down or apologize," Sherrill said. "Leader McCarthy said at the time 'that is not the party of Lincoln, and it’s definitely not American.' Rep. Greene has gone even further and promoted the murder of elected officials, including the Speaker. This eclipses Rep. King’s vitriolic remarks, and yet Leader McCarthy refuses to act."

The Republican congresswoman came under fire in the last several weeks after some of her controversial social media posts and comments resurfaced. Those included endorsing conspiracy theories alleging that mass school shootings — such as at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida — were staged; and that the 9/11 terror attacks were an "inside job." She also liked social media comments promoting violence against other members of Congress, such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

This week, a 22-year-old Middletown woman has Down syndrome called on Greene to resign — or at the very least be taken off her positions on the House Education and Labor Committee — after video surfaced of Greene using the word "retard."

In a speech Thursday, Greene walked back her previous statements about school shootings, saying they are "absolutely real" and cited an example — which could not be independently confirmed — of her own experience in a school shooting.

"I understand how terrible it is, because when I was 16 years old in 11th grade, my school was a gun-free school zone, and one of my schoolmates brought guns to school and took our entire school hostage for hours," Greene said. "I know the fear that David Hogg had that day, I know the fear those kids have. And this is why — I say this sincerely with all my heart because I love our kids, every single one of your children, all of our children — I truly believe that children at school should never be left unprotected."

But that was not enough to sway votes in her favor.

“I don’t take this vote lightly. I am a former federal prosecutor, I take precedent seriously. But to have a member of the House of Representatives, an institution I dearly love and a critical part of our democracy, advocate violence against the Speaker and other elected members is an act I cannot condone and one that renders her unqualified to serve on a committee," Sherrill said. "And make no mistake, her tepid statement on the floor of the House was in no way an acknowledgment of guilt nor an apology. I wish that the Republican Conference had the courage to do the right thing. But in the absence of that, the full House of Representatives, in a bipartisan vote, had to fulfill our duties to the American people and strip Rep. Greene of her committee assignments."

This post contains reporting by Kara McIntyre

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