Rep. Garbarino Votes To Keep Marjorie Taylor Greene On Committees

SAYVILLE, NY —Members of Congress from Long Island were divided on Thursday night's vote to remove controversial Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene from her committee positions. Rep. Andrew Garbarino from New York's 2nd District voted in favor of Greene, who has come under fire for statements supporting conspiracy theories, denying that parts of 9/11 happened, along with several school shootings. Greene also appeared to support violence against in other lawmakers in her social media postings.

11 Republican representatives voted with Democrats to strip Greene of her assigned positions on education and labor committees, three from New York. Garbarino, however, voted with the GOP majority in support of Greene.

"His vote tells our kids in NY02 that conspiracy theories, assassination threats, anti-semitism, Islamophobia, outright lies and lack of humanity are all okay. It's not okay. It’s shameful," wrote Liuba Grechen Shirley, who is a community organizer who ran against Garbarino for the seat vacated by Peter King last year.

Greene has famously questioned if the Parkland, Florida school shooting was a hoax, along with the attack on the Pentagon during 9/11. She's been captured on video espousing conspiracy theories from QAnon that involve body doubles, space lasers and Satanic cabals.

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Christine Bennett released this statement after the House vote:

"Today, Reps. Lee Zeldin and Andrew Garbarino, rejected a bipartisan effort to rebuke dangerous extremism, caving to anti-Semitic, racist and pro-violence conspiracy theory QAnon enthusiasts, and voted to keep Marjorie Taylor Greene, GOP frontwoman, on the panel entrusted with our children’s education."

"Instead of taking a stand with members of their own party against the hatred and bigotry growing within the House Republican caucus, Zeldin and Garbarino voted to reward QAnon enthusiast and 9/11 truther Marjorie Taylor Greene with several powerful House committees assignments including the Committee on Education and Labor, even after Greene’s documented belief that Parkland and Newtown shootings were hoaxes."

Garbarino's office issued the following statement:

“Like many of my constituents, I am deeply troubled by the disturbing comments Rep. Greene made before she was a member of Congress, and I wholeheartedly rebuke her previous words and actions. I am particularly offended by her questioning of 9/11. As my constituents know all too well, 9/11 was not only real—it was one of the worst days in our history. I personally lost friends and loved ones, from those who were murdered on that horrific day, to first responders who lost their battles fighting health complications following the attack. The aftermath continues to haunt our communities to this day.

As elected officials, we are held to a higher standard —hateful, racist, and anti-Semitic remarks have no place in the people’s House. This type of rhetoric helps no one, and only drives our nation further apart at a time when we so desperately need to unite. However, I do not believe that Congress should begin the precedent of stripping individuals from their committee assignments based on statements made prior to being a Member of Congress. Rep. Greene has since publicly apologized on the House floor for her offensive behavior. I will be the first person in line to hold Rep. Greene accountable for her future actions and remarks as a Member of Congress. This institution has survived since the birth of the U.S. Constitution, and all members have a duty to be examples of civility for generations of Americans to come.