Mediaboss Marketing

Republican lawmakers spent four years never seeing the tweets. They were on Twitterfeuding with Democratic colleagues, expressing disappointment in 2020s college football schedule, describing cloudsbut never seemed to be online when Donald Trump was firing off some of his wildest content, and were always suddenly too busy to see any news coverage of the presidents posts. When I wake up in the morning, GOP Senator Kevin Cramer said last June, after Trump suggested an elderly racial justice protester slammed to the sidewalk by Buffalo police had it coming, the presidents tweets are not in the top 100 things I think about.

It was an embarrassing out, but in Republicans minds, perhaps the lesser of two evils. Sure, they couldve condemned Trump, but that wouldve meant getting their own friendly Trump tweet. Seeking to avoid that at all costs, they left themselves two options: Defend the indefensible, or mutter something about being late for lunch and busting ass out of there before Manu Raju or Kasie Hunt could ask them another question.

That is, in essence, what some in the GOP are trying to do again as they face pressure to take punitive action against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greenethe QAnon Congresswoman whose prolific posting career has included promoting conspiracy theories, calling for Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats to be executed, and proudly harassing a Parkland school shooting survivor. While some in the party like Mitt Romneyand even Mitch McConnellhave denounced her, others are going to hilarious lengths to avoid being pinned down. I havent even looked at what all shes done, Senator Tommy Tuberville, an ardent Trump supporter, told CNN Tuesday when asked about the highly-publicized Greene saga. Travel in this weather, its been a little rough looking at any news or whatever.

But the whole I couldnt watch the news because its snowing dodge only works when you cant be held to account. Republicans could or whatever their way out of commenting on Trump because they knew that no amount of pressure in the media or from Democrats would pose much of a threat to him, and if they could stay in his good graces while keeping a little distance, theyd be fine. Thats not quite the case with Greene. If Republicans ignore her abominable conduct and unfitness for office, Democratslooking a lot more assertive now that they control both the White House and Congresswill make her the ranting, raving face of the party. And if Kevin McCarthy and other GOP leaders dont do the bare minimum and remove her from her committee assignments, the Democratic majority led by Pelosi and Steny Hoyer have promised to do it for them, forcing a floor vote that would require all House Republicans to go on the record supporting or opposing Greene.

McCarthy, who evidently wants to keep the MAGA crowd happy without hitching himself to its looniest representative, had clearly hoped thered be an easy way out. In a two-hour meeting with Greene Tuesday night, the minority leader gave her three options, Politico reported: She could (1) publicly denounce QAnon and apologize for the conspiracy-mongering and violence-promoting on which her entire political career is based, (2) step down from her committee assignments, or (3) have them taken from her by her own colleagues. Its not clear how she responded, but its probably safe to assume that it wasnt what McCarthy wanted to hear; after the meeting, sources told Politico, the House minority leader convened a second late-night meeting with the panel that designates committee assignments to discuss stripping Greene of hers. McCarthy and his Republican colleagues are desperately hoping to avoid letting the matter go to a vote. Theyre reportedly banking on cutting a deal with Hoyer in which they would voluntarily remove Greene from the Education and Labor committee but allow her to remain on the Budget committee, if hed just please refrain from putting the matter to a vote on the floor.

Hoyer may have some incentive to agree; there has been concern among Democrats that removing a member of the opposing party from committees, particularly for conduct that in part preceded her time in office, could be used against them in the future. But this is about more than the political gamesmanship of forcing Republicans to choose between MAGA and moderates. Its about confronting the very real danger posed by Greene and others like her. She has continued to post with reckless abandon. Responding to Politicos reporting on Twitter, she charged that Democrats and the bloodthirsty media are bent on destroying Republicans, your jobs, our economy, your childrens education and lives, steal our freedoms, and erase Gods creation. One lesson of the Trump era is that there are real-world consequences to that kind of rhetoric, even if it comes in a tweet that Republicans say they didnt see.

More Great Stories From Vanity Fair

Embedding With Pentagon Leadership in Trumps Final, Frenzied Days Donald Trump Refused to Take No From WomenAnd Then From America Itself How Trumps COVID Chaos Drowned the FDA in Junk Science Inside the Epic Bromance of Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump After Wrecking the Country, Jared and Ivanka Plot Vacation Plans Can Trumps Cult of Followers Be Deprogrammed? Trump Makes an Exit With His Brand in Tatters From the Archive: How Donald Trump Turned Palm Beach Against Him Not a subscriber? Join Vanity Fair to receive full access to VF.com and the complete online archive now.

View original post here:
Republican Senator Says He Hasnt Seen the Marjorie Taylor Greene Scandal Because of Bad Weather - Vanity Fair