Marjorie Taylor Greene ‘Very Upset’ Jan. 6 Rioters Thwarted Plan To Overturn Election

Topline

Right-wing firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said Thursday she was “very upset” a Trump-supporting mob invaded the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, claiming the rioters–inspired by false claims of widespread election fraud–ended up killing Republican plans to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) wears a “Stop the Steal” mask while speaking at the U.S. Capitol … [+] in Washington on Jan. 4, 2021. (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

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Key Facts

At a news conference Thursday alongside Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Greene said rioters had “completely interrupted” the work of Republicans who were objecting to the counting of Electoral College votes on January 6, 2021.

Greene didn’t place the blame on former President Donald Trump or his supporters, though, instead repeating an unfounded conspiracy theory that federal agents orchestrated the riot.

Though Greene and other hard-right Republicans resumed efforts to object to the Electoral College vote count after the riot interrupted proceedings on January 6, 2021, several less extreme members of the party dropped their plans to challenge following the violence.

Key Background

Records released by the House select committee investigating the riot have suggested there were serious talks among top federal officials about appointing an “alternate slate of electors” that would have allowed Trump to win reelection. Documents provided to the committee by former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows also revealed a 38-page PowerPoint presentation was created prior to the rioting called “Election Fraud, Foreign Interference & Options for 6 JAN,” but it’s unclear who made it. Though Trump and numerous other Republicans have continued repeating false claims of election fraud, the former president did lose much of his political might—albeit temporarily—in the immediate aftermath of the Capitol rioting. Several longtime Trump Administration officials resigned following the attack, Trump’s approval rating slid among Republicans and Cabinet members reportedly discussed invoking the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office. After earlier claiming he would “never concede,” Trump released a video on January 7, 2021, acknowledging President Joe Biden would succeed him, reportedly amid pressure from his administration.

Tangent

Greene and Gaetz billed their news conference as a “Republican response” after Biden spoke Thursday morning. In his remarks, Biden blamed Trump for the Capitol rioting, saying he “created and spread a web of lies” that inspired them.

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