House Democrat wants to censure Marjorie Taylor Greene after she showed Hunter Biden's nude photos
- A House Democrat may force the House to vote on formally censuring Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
- Vermont Rep. Becca Balint's resolution lists off a number of Greene's comments.
Democratic Rep. Becca Balint of Vermont wants to formally censure Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for a litany of offenses, including showing Hunter Biden's slightly redacted nude photos during a House hearing last week.
Balint could use a procedural move to force the House to consider formally punishing Greene, The Washington Post reported. The freshman lawmaker could force such a vote this week, though it is unclear if she will do so.
Balint's resolution touches on a list of Greene's behavior both before and after she was elected to Congress, much of it references antisemitic, racist, and xenophobic statements she made during her time as a far-right promoter of the QAnon conspiracy theory.
As for her behavior since joining Congress, Balint pointed out Greene's attendance at an event hosted by avowed white nationalist Nick Fuentes (she later said she wouldn't do it again), calling a group of progressive lawmakers that includes Rep. Ilhan Omar, who is Muslim, the "Jihad Squad", displaying an anti-trans poster outside of her office which is right next to a Democratic lawmaker who has a transgender daughter, and Greene's actions during last week's hearing.
Greene, who warned viewers that "parental discretion is advised," proceeded to question IRS whistleblowers about alleged leaked photos from Hunter Biden's laptop that showed him and alleged sex workers. Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, appeared flabbergasted. "Should we be displaying this?" he asked.
"Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene displayed graphic pornographic images during an official committee hearing that she claimed depicted a member of President Biden's family," the resolution reads. (Balint updated the text of resolution on Tuesday afternoon, slightly changing the wording of the Biden-related provision.)
Democrats are focusing renewed attention on the House's censure power in the wake of House Republicans censuring Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, for his handling of investigations into then-President Donald Trump. A separate effort is underway to censure Rep. George Santos, a New York Republican, who has admitted to falsifying multiple claims during his campaign and is facing federal fraud charges. The Santos resolution already has some Republican support.
Balint's resolution also touches on comments Greene made before being sworn in that later led to her being kicked off of committees in February 2021. At the time, she said that QAnon allowed her "to believe things that weren't true."
"And that is absolutely what I regret," Greene said on the House floor before the vote. "Because if it weren't for the Facebook posts and comments that I liked in 2018, I wouldn't be standing here today, and you couldn't point a finger and accuse me of anything wrong, because I've lived a very good life that I'm proud of ... and that's what my district elected me for."
A spokesperson for Greene did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
A censure is a formal punishment that if passed requires the Speaker of the House or another presiding officer to formally read off of the resolution while the offending lawmaker stands silently on the House floor. It is the second-highest form of punishment the House can inflict; the highest is expelling members. Historically, it is reserved for gross misconduct, including when a member has violated the law.
Some Republicans have become more open to using the censure power after Democrats censured Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona in November 2021 for sharing an edited meme that depicted him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat.