Video of Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene confronting Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg before she was elected to Congress went viral Wednesday amid an uproar over newly surfaced comments she made in 2018 and 2019 as reported by CNN’s KFile.
In the video from March 2019, Greene follows Hogg as he walks toward the US Capitol. She can be heard making false and baseless claims as she asks him a series of questions related to gun rights and how he was able to meet with senators. Hogg continues to walk without addressing Greene.
“He’s a coward,” Greene says at the end of the video as Hogg walks away, claiming his activism was funded by billionaire philanthropist George Soros, who is often the subject of far-right conspiracy theories, and other liberals. “He can’t say one word because he can’t defend his stance.”
Greene – who has previously called Hogg “#littleHitler” – said in a written statement to CNN that the video was taken while she was in Washington, “going from office to office in the Senate to oppose the radical gun control agenda that David Hogg was pushing.”
“In 11th grade, one of my fellow student took our school hostage with a gun he brought to our ‘gun-free’ school,” Greene said. “I understand that fear firsthand and I will always work to protect our gun rights so that Americans can defend themselves and others against bad people intent to harm or kill them.”
Hogg spoke about the confrontation with Greene on Thursday, telling CNN’s Alisyn Camerota he was trying to “keep a straight face” and practice mindfulness meditation that helps him cope with PTSD and ADHD.
“I was told growing up, it’s just better not to respond to bullies and just walk away,” Hogg said on “New Day.”
He also said he “absolutely” felt it was a threat when Greene said in the video that she carried a gun, but told himself “if they shoot me, they prove my point.”
“And the reality is, they can’t kill a movement,” he said.
Seventeen people were killed and more than a dozen others injured on February 14, 2018, when a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Hogg survived and has since become a vocal proponent of stricter gun regulation.
Fred Guttenberg, who became an activist after his daughter was shot and killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting, said he released the video on Twitter “to shine sunlight” on Greene. Guttenberg has demanded Greene resign after social media posts surfaced showing she agreed with people who said the mass shooting was a “false flag” operation.
“This is what I’m going to do every day until I meet her in person,” Guttenberg told CNN, adding, “She and I are going to meet in person, and I will make sure it is recorded because I don’t want there to be any question over what was said, how it was said and facts. There won’t be any questions as to facts. And I’m going to bring proof of what happened to my daughter.”
The video reemerged one day after CNN’s KFile reported that Greene repeatedly indicated support for executing prominent Democratic politicians in 2018 and 2019 before being elected to Congress.
In one post, from January 2019, Greene liked a comment that said “a bullet to the head would be quicker” to remove House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. In other posts, Greene liked comments about executing FBI agents who, in her eyes, were part of the “deep state” working against Trump.
In one Facebook post from April 2018, Greene wrote conspiratorially about the Iran deal, one of former President Barack Obama’s signature foreign policy achievements. A commenter asked Greene, “Now do we get to hang them ?? Meaning H & O ???,” referring to Obama and Hillary Clinton.
Greene replied, “Stage is being set. Players are being put in place. We must be patient. This must be done perfectly or liberal judges would let them off.”
After CNN reached out to Greene, her personal Twitter account posted a statement in which she did not deny that she had liked posts and replied to comments but claimed that many people have run her Facebook page.
“Over the years, I’ve had teams of people manage my pages. Many posts have been liked. Many posts have been shared. Some did not represent my views. Especially the ones that CNN is about to spread across the internet,” she wrote. Greene did not specify whether she or a member of her team were behind the posts reviewed by CNN’s KFile.
Despite the violent nature of those comments, most House Republicans were silent on Wednesday about what Greene had posted, with few exceptions.
House GOP Whip Steve Scalise said in a statement to CNN, “I’ve consistently condemned the use of violent rhetoric in politics on both sides, and this is no exception. There is no place for comments like that in our political discourse.”
A spokesperson for Rep. Liz Cheney, the No. 3 House Republican, told CNN in a statement, “Rep. Cheney has spoken out in the past about hateful comments from members of both parties and she finds these recent posts repugnant.”
Hogg called for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to denounce Greene on Thursday.
“My message to Kevin McCarthy is, take all of her committee assignments away … also, don’t support her when she runs for re-election again and try to get her primaried. If you say this is not your party, actually call it out and hold her accountable,” he said.
CNN’s Rachel Janfaza, Em Steck, Andrew Kaczynski, Clare Foran, Daniella Diaz, Annie Grayer, Kristin Wilson and Chandelis Duster contributed to this report.
