US representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar, members of the US Congress who spoke at a white nationalist event in Florida this week, are “morons” with no place in the Republican party, US Senator Mitt Romney said on Sunday.
“I’m reminded of that old line from the Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid movie,” the Utah senator and 2012 presidential nominee told CNN’s State of the Union.
“One character says, ‘Morons. I’ve got morons on my team.’ I have to think anybody that would sit down with white nationalists and speak at their conference was certainly missing a few IQ points.”
Photo: AFP
Greene, from Georgia, and Gosar, from Arizona, spoke at the America First Political Action Conference, or AFPAC, organized by far-right activist Nick Fuentes. Greene defended her attendance, saying that she did not know Fuentes or endorse his views.
Calls for the censure of the two Republicans, familiar from previous instances of extreme behavior, rang out again on Saturday.
“In any other world, Greene speaking at a white supremacist conference where attendees have defended Vladimir Putin and praised Adolf Hitler would warrant expulsion from the caucus, to say nothing of her advocacy for violence and consistent antisemitism, [it] is disgusting,” Democratic National Committee spokesperson Ammar Moussa said.
“Quite simply, the longer [Republican US House of Representatives Minority Leader] Kevin McCarthy gives Marjorie Taylor Greene an unfettered platform and promises to elevate her, the more complicit he is,” Moussa added.
“White supremacy, neo-Nazism, hate speech and bigotry are disgusting and do not have a home in the Republican party,” Republican Party Chair Ronna McDaniel said.
However, McDaniel and McCarthy lead a party in which the far right is strong and former US president Donald Trump its figurehead.
McDaniel is Romney’s niece, although she reportedly stopped using his name at Trump’s request. On CNN, Romney mentioned McDaniel’s statement about Greene and Gosar as well as strong words from Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican congresswoman and Trump critic.
“Talking about how repugnant these white nationalists are... there’s no place in either political party for this white nationalism or racism. It’s simply wrong,” Romney said. “It’s evil as well.”
Cheney is a stringent conservative but remains at odds with her party. She was not invited to CPAC, the larger conservative event in Florida at which Trump and Greene appeared.
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