Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) apologized for her past controversial remarks and embrace of the QAnon conspiracy theory during a heated closed-door House GOP conference meeting — and received a standing ovation at one point from a number of her colleagues.
Greene told her colleagues that she made a mistake by being curious about “Q” and said she told her children she learned a lesson about what to put on social media, according to two sources in the room.
She also denied that she knew what Jewish space lasers were and defended her comments that past school shootings were staged by stating that she had personal experience with a school shooting.
She received a standing ovation from some members of the caucus at the conclusion of her remarks.
The House will vote Thursday on removing Greene from the House Budget and Education panels, where she was placed by Republicans. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has so far declined to take disciplinary actions against Greene.
The first-year lawmaker is facing criticism for a string on false statements, flirtations with conspiracy theories and other controversial remarks.
Various outlets have unearthed remarks by Greene supporting the QAnon conspiracy theory, which posits that Democrats and Hollywood are behind an international child sex peddling scandal; backing violence against Democratic officials; arguing that schools shootings were staged to win support for gun control; and suggesting that California’s wildfires were caused by a space laser to make way for a high-speed rail project linked to PG&E and the Rothschilds.
The controversies have embarrassed many Republicans, and GOP senators have criticized Greene and suggested she should not be a face of the party.
McCarthy and other House Republicans have harshly criticized many of Greene’s statements but have not taken tougher disciplinary actions.
Democrats, for their part, are seeking to tie the GOP to Greene and her most outlandish statements. Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) office earlier on Wednesday issued a blistering statement mocking McCarthy for cowardice and suggesting he was the leader of the QAnon party.
While Greene was apologetic in her remarks, she stated that she felt nothing she said would ever be good enough for the media or Democrats, according to one source in the room.
Shortly before her remarks, McCarthy, who met with Greene on Tuesday evening, said he does not want to remove her from her committees.