Marjorie Taylor Greene blasts AOC's 'jihad squad' after Democrat congresswoman branded her 'unwell' over newly-unearthed clip of 2019 confrontation
Marjorie Taylor Greene blasted Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as a member of a 'jihad squad' after a row erupted over a newly-unearthed 2019 confrontation.
Greene hit out after AOC called her 'deeply unwell' over the clip, which showed Greene, who was then a conservative activist, hurling abuse at the Democrat congresswoman during the visit to Congress.
She said: 'They support antifa [Black Lives Matter] riots, they share the Minnesota freedom fund linked to bail out criminals who've been arrested after rioting, they support terrorists and Hamas.
'They support violence all over the streets.' Greene was referring to Ocasio-Cortez and the other three Democrat representatives who make up her so-called 'squad' of progressive lawmakers.
The others are Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. Both Omar and Tlaib are Muslim.
The clip which triggered the latest row showed the controversial Georgia representative hurled insults at the locked door of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's congressional office. She was filmed taunting staff and the New York congresswoman through a mailbox slot, in an episode captured in a since-deleted 2019 video.
'Get rid of your diaper,' said Greene, who was then a conservative activist before being elected to the House a year later, as she apparently tried to goad Ocasio-Cortez into a confrontation.
On Friday, Ocasio-Cortez responded to what she called Greene's 'fixation.'
'This is a woman that's deeply unwell,' she told reporters. 'And clearly needs some help.'
Marjorie Taylor Greene, center, leaves a meeting at the House of Representatives Friday after blasting Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as a member of the 'jihad squad'
Greene and Ocasio-Cortez traded insults after a 2019 clip of Greene hurling abuse at Ocasio-Cortez's office was unearthed. Greene was a conservative activist at the time
Asked for a comment on the clip, AOC claimed Greene was 'unwell,' prompting a vicious riposte from the controversial Georgia congresswoman
Greene demanded to speak to AOC, urging her to 'stop being a baby' and 'come out and face the American citizens that you serve' in a Facebook Live video from February 2019
Greene defended her actions on Friday and said the 'Jihad squad' of Ilhan Omar, AOC, Rashida Tlaib was out of control and supported 'terrorists'
Greene quickly fired back, defending her actions and saying he would not be backing down when the 'jihad squad' was out of control.
'They support antifa, BLM riots,' she told reporters.
'They share the Minnesota freedom fund link to bail out criminals who've been arrested after rioting. They support terrorists and Hamas.
'You've got the jihad squad, you've got Ilhan Omar, AOC, Rashida Tlaib, all the rest of them, supporting terrorists, Hamas, that are bombing Israel right now.'
The Facebook Live footage resurfaced on Friday after Greene challenged the New York representative on Wednesday, accusing her of supporting 'terrorists.'
That was the latest in a string of confrontations dating back to Greene's Capitol Hill visit in February 2019.
The group left messages in AOC's visitors book saying 'Trump is your president' and scrawling 'socialism sucks' across one page
The video, saved by CNN's KFile team, shows Greene and a number of associates making their way along a corridor to the congresswoman's office.
They include Anthony Aguero who later admitted to being part of the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
'We're going to go see, we're going to visit, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,' says Greene in the footage.
'Crazy eyes. Crazy eyes. Nutty. Cortez.'
They stop at the office door, where the wall is plastered with sticky notes, which they say makes it look like a college dorm.
'It is daycare,' says one of the party.
They take turns leaving insulting messages in a visitors book, writing 'Trump is your president,' and scrawling 'socialism sucks' across one page.
Aguera (far left in the red cap) could be heard chanting 'heave ho' as rioters attempted to break into the Capitol's west side
Anthony Aguero (right) styles himself as a conservative livestreamer and is an ally of Greene. He was captured in footage of protesters inside the Capitol building on January 6
Then Greene demands to talk to Ocasio-Cortez. Speaking through the mail slot she says: 'Excuse me I'm an American citizen. I pay taxes I'd like to speak to someone in Congress.'
There is no response from behind the locked door.
'So you need to stop being a baby and stop locking your door and come out and face the American citizens that you serve,' she continues.
'If you want to be a big girl, you need to get rid of your diaper and come out and be able to talk to the American citizens instead of us having to use a flap, a little flap. Sad.'
AOC took to Twitter to say Republicans would be demanding her expulsion from the House if she were behaving like Greene
It is one of a number of times Greene has sought out Ocasio-Cortez.
In April she confronted her on the House floor to demand a debate on the Green New Deal after the Democrat claimed climate change was the result of racism.
And on Wednesday, Greene was seen 'aggressively' confronting Ocasio-Cortez as they left the House chamber.
QAnon sympathizer Marjorie Taylor Greene this week accused Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of supporting 'terrorists' in an aggressive confrontation outside the House chamber on Wednesday
Marjorie Taylor Greene confronted AOC on the House floor in April to demand a debate on the Green New Deal after the Democrat claimed climate change was the result of racism
'You don't care about the American people,' Greene shouted. 'Why do you support terrorists and antifa?'
Ocasio-Cortez kept walking but later her office responded by calling on congressional authorities to protect members of Congress and foster a climate for safe debate.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi described the episode as a 'verbal assault and abuse' of a colleague.
'This is beneath the dignity of a person serving in the Congress of the United States and is a cause for trauma and fear among members, especially on the heels of an insurrection,' she added, saying it should be a matter for the House ethics committee.
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