Calls to Expel Marjorie Taylor Greene Trend After Masks-Holocaust Remark, Petitions Gain Steam

Georgia Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is facing backlash from social media users as well as criticism from even her own party after she compared U.S. Capitol mask restrictions to the Holocaust.

Greene recently told a podcast host that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's continuing pandemic mask requirement was similar to Jews "told to wear a gold star" in Nazi Germany concentration camps. In the aftermath, tens of thousands of tweets Sunday caused the #TimeToExpelMarjorie hashtag to emerge atop Twitter.

Additionally, petitions were created that seek action from Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. A Change.org petition entitled "Kevin McCarthy must expel Marjorie Taylor Greene" surpassed 10,000 signatures Sunday less than 12 hours after the page was created.

"Marjorie Taylor Greene cannot even be trusted to be on any committees and is only in office to disrupt order and cause chaos," wrote Change.org petition creator David Weissman, who stressed that his U.S. military background allowed him to assess her as a very real threat to Congress and national security.

"Her recent comments comparing Covid-19 CDC guidelines to the Holocaust are deeply offensive and are just one of the many different ways she's violated her oath as a member of Congress. I used to believe the Republican Party stood for decency, family values and good faith principles, but any continued support of Marjorie Taylor Greene, renders that demonstrably untrue," the petition concluded.

Greene's latest remarks on masks and the Holocaust prompted denunciation from Republicans. Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney said the Georgia congresswoman's comments embodied "evil lunacy," HuffPost reported, while Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger tweeted Saturday in response: "Absolute sickness."

Michigan GOP Representative Peter Meijer told CNN Sunday that Greene's Holocaust comparison was "beyond reprehensible. I don't even have words to describe how disappointing it is to see this hyperbolic speech."

CNN host Dana Bash conceded she didn't even want to draw attention to Greene's Holocaust-mask comparison, but added "this is somebody with a big megaphone" who faces no backlash from Republican Party leaders.

Greene has largely ignored the bipartisan criticism, which many liberal-leaning pundits have said will ultimately lead to no punishment from Republican leaders. Greene has instead focused her social media posts toward allegations of antisemitic attacks in the United States and touting her undying support for Israel.

Many consistent left-wing critics of Greene began calling out the Republican Party as a whole for their inaction in dealing with her increasingly hyperbolic and false rhetoric.

"The official platform of the @GOP is that wearing a mask and getting a vaccine is just as bad as 6 million Jews being killed during the Holocaust," tweeted progressive PAC MeidasTouch Sunday.

Greene was already removed from several House committees back in February over her ties to conspiracy theory posts, including several that indicated her belief in a "Jewish space laser" was causing California wildfires.

Newsweek reached out to Greene's office for comment.