Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union, host Jake Tapper accused Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of selective outrage.
Tapper addressed a motion to censure Palestinian American Michigan Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib citing antisemitism.
"You’re never gonna believe who the Republican offering this motion to censure Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib is."
"I want you to take a guess. Go ahead. Take a guess. That’s right. It’s Marjorie Taylor Greene."
Tapper described Greene's resolution as reading like it was authored by someone who “learned about the Arab-Israeli conflict maybe 10 minutes before, who maybe didn’t even have access to Wikipedia" that “twists a bunch of things [Tlaib] said beyond recognition.”
However given Greene's own history of spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories—like Jewish space lasers causing wildfires—and her free pass for former Republican President Donald Trump's antisemitic remarks, Tapper called out the controversial Republican's hypocrisy.
You can watch the moment here:
Tapper said:
"The degree to which some folks only pretend to care about anti-Semitism when they can weaponize, it never ceases to amaze."
"The leading Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump—he dined with Holocaust deniers [including Nick Fuentes]."
"Donald Trump posted a screed accusing liberal Jews of 'voting to destroy America and Israel' last Rosh Hashanah to nary a peep from any House Republican leaders."
He added:
"I mean, Greene spoke at the White supremacist conference run by Holocaust denier, racist anti-Semite Nick Fuentes, who participated in that hateful 2017 Charlottesville rally."
"This is the same Marjorie Taylor Greene who has pushed the great replacement theory in videos."
"The deranged notion that rich Jews are trying to replace White Americans and Westerners with Blacks and brown Muslims. Not to mention, of course, her Jewish space laser conspiracy that a consortium including, yes, wealthy Jews, were using lasers on satellites to start forest fires."
The White House veteran reporter concluded:
"Antisemitism is not a cudgel to be used against people for political points."
"Nor is Islamophobia or racism, or anti-gay behavior or misogyny or any other kind of bigotry."
"This sh*t is not a game."
People applauded Tapper's straightforward commentary and cited alternate motives for Greene's motion.
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Tapper noted Tlaib received criticism from Democrats, but asked if Republicans were in any position to add their own rebuke.
The CNN correspondent—speaking from Tel Aviv, Israel—said:
"[Tlaib] got a lot of criticism from fellow Democrats, and you might be sitting there thinking, ‘Okay, I can see why that might bother, or even outrage people,’ but are House Republicans really in a position to censure Tlaib?"
On Thursday, October 26, Representative Tlaib issued an official statement, writing:
"Marjorie Taylor Greene’s unhinged resolution is deeply Islamophobic and attacks peaceful Jewish anti-war advocates. I am proud to stand in solidarity with Jewish peace advocates calling for a ceasefire and an end to the violence."
"I will not be bullied, I will not be dehumanized, and I will not be silenced. I will continue to call for ceasefire, for the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid, for the release of hostages and those arbitrarily detained, and for every American to be brought home."
"I will continue to work for a just and lasting peace that upholds the human rights and dignity of all people, and ensures that no person, no child has to suffer or live in fear of violence."
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