Greene takes stand to fight legal challenge to candidacy

Rep. Greene answers questions under oath about role in Jan. 6 attack

Greene takes stand to fight challenge to candidacy

Controversial U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene testified in court on Friday in a legal challenge to her candidacy, with plaintiffs alleging that her involvement in the January 6 Capitol attack makes her ineligible to run for re-election under the U.S. Constitution.

The Republican lawmaker’s testimony at an Atlanta courthouse on Friday made her the first member of Congress to testify under oath about the January 6 attack, even as a congressional committee is pursuing its own investigation.

The lawsuit was filed by Free Speech For People on behalf of voters in Greene’s ultraconservative North Georgia district, who claim that Greene’s statements in the days leading up to January 6 helped incite the Capitol riot.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs claim that Greene should be blocked from seeking re-election under Section III of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which reads:

“No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.”

Greene entered the courtroom to cheers from supporters and was flanked by Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz. The freshman Congresswoman doubled down on false claims about the 2020 election and dodged many of the questions asked by lawyers.

Greene and her legal team said that the proceedings were political theater and claimed that her constitutional rights were being violated. They said that Rep. Greene was the real victim of the attack.

Greene was also asked about many of her controversial statements. When asked if she called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a “traitor,” the Congresswoman said that she didn’t remember ever saying anything like that. Lawyer Andrew Celli then presented evidence of her making that exact statement.

At one point, she pushed back on claims that she supports QAnon, a far-right internet movement that has been associated with several disturbing conspiracy theories.

Greene is not the only Republican lawmaker who has faced legal challenges to her candidacy.

Similar cases have suffered setbacks in North Carolina, where a federal judge blocked a challenge against Representative Madison Cawthorn, another far-right Republican, and in Arizona, where the Superior Court in Maricopa County ruled on Thursday that it did not have the authority to block the re-elections of two other conservative Republicans, Representatives Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs, and the candidacy for secretary of state of a state representative, Mark Finchem.

Though she and her lawyers fought to avoid Friday’s testimony, a federal judge on Monday denied their request for a preliminary injunction. So the case against Greene is the only one that has been allowed to move forward.

Judge Charles Beaudrot, who presided over Friday’s hearing, has given plaintiffs and the defense until next Thursday to submit their post-trial briefs. He is then expected to send a recommendation to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who will have the final say on whether Greene will be disqualified.

Raffensperger himself is facing a Republican primary challenge after refusing to echo former President Donald Trump’s claims of voter fraud. Trump frantically urged Raffensperger to “find” enough votes to overturn Biden’s Georgia victory in a now-infamous phone call.

Georgia’s primary election is on May 24, with early in-person voting set to begin May 2. So it is very likely that some Republican voters in Greene’s district will be casting ballots for her before the issue is resolved.

You can watch the full hearing here.