Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) called Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas a “liar” in a committee hearing on Thursday – and was then quickly shut down by Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-Florida).
During Mayorkas’s hearing, Greene accused the DHS secretary of allowing fentanyl deaths by not stopping the deadly drug – often laced with heroin and the leading cause of drug overdoses in the United States – from entering the country.
Taking exception to her framing, Mayorkas responded “Congresswoman, let me assure you that we’re not letting it go on..”
Greene then interrupted the DHS secretary, asserting, “No, I reclaim my time. You’re a liar. You are letting this go on. And the numbers prove it.”
While Greene is correct that fentanyl causes tens of thousands of deaths in the United States every year, her accusation that Mayorkas – and by extension, the Biden administration – is maliciously allowing this to happen lacks evidence.
After Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Mississippi) interjected to denounce Greene’s comments, the committee’s Republican chairman banned her from speaking the rest of the hearing.
“It’s pretty clear that the rules state you can’t impugn someone’s character. Identifying or calling someone a liar is unacceptable in this committee and I make the ruling that we strike those words… When we strike it does terminate the time of the individual who is speaking, so the gentlelady is no longer recognized,” he added.
Greene left the hearing shortly and reportedly went to speak with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California).
“He agreed with me,” claimed Greene recounting the meeting. “Speaker McCarthy is never going to let that happen.”
