Marjorie Taylor Greene Reprimanded by Republican During Hearing

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) holds up a photograph of Dr. Anthony Fauci, former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, while questioning him during a hearing of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic at the Rayburn House Office Building on June 03, 2024 in Washington, DC. Greene was reprimanded by chair Rep. Wenstrup, a fellow Republican, because of a lack of decorum and told she must refer to Fauci as a doctor.

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, was scolded by a fellow Republican lawmaker over her remarks on Monday while grilling Dr. Anthony Fauci during a congressional hearing on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Greene has been a vocal critic of Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and launched a contentious line of questioning during the House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing Monday afternoon on the origins of COVID-19 and the federal response to the pandemic.

The Georgia congresswoman provoked the ire of her Democratic colleagues by repeatedly addressing Fauci as "Mr." and saying "You're not a doctor." Greene's controversial questioning was interrupted multiple times by objections by Democratic members of the Oversight's Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic who issued "points of order."

Greene's remarks also caused her to be reprimanded by the committee chairman, Representative Brad Wenstrup, an Ohio Republican, because of a lack of decorum.

At one point during Greene's questioning, Representative Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat, interjected, asking: "Mr. Chairman, point of order, just in terms of the rules of decorum, are we allowed to deny that a doctor is a doctor just because we don't want him to be a doctor?"

Greene responded, "Yes." During her five minutes allotted time to ask questions, she said that Fauci "does not deserve to have a license, as a matter of fact, it should be revoked and he belongs in prison."

Wenstrup interrupted and said Greene "should recognize the doctor as the doctor."

Newsweek reached out via email on Monday to representatives for Greene and Wenstrup for comment.

Representative Robert Garcia, a California Democrat, spoke during the hearing following Greene and defended Fauci while chastising his Republican counterpart. Garcia continued his criticism of Greene on X, formerly Twitter, calling her an "embarrassment."

"Totally insane that Marjorie Taylor Greene would not refer to Dr. Fauci as a doctor," he wrote. "He's one of the most brilliant medical minds in the country. She's a national embarrassment."

On Monday evening, Greene shared a video to X of her lashing out at Democrats.

"I'm really sick and tired of the b******* antics I have to deal with constantly from the Democrats," she said. "So that's what we just went through in there."

The congresswoman continued: "It's nonstop BS and antics. You want to know why? The Democrats don't have anything. They're responsible for the lockdowns, forced vaccinations, kids being forced to stay home, people committing suicide, and all the horrors that this country lived through during COVID. Fauci belongs in prison. He should be tried for mass murder, and he should be tried for crimes against humidity. That's how I feel after that hearing."

Monday's hearing quickly reignited debates on how the coronavirus pandemic should have been handled by the federal government and public officials, with critics arguing that school closures and mask-wearing were unnecessary. The hearing was also called to discuss the origins of the virus.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COVID-19 has killed more than 1.2 million Americans since 2020.

Fauci, who agreed to attend the hearing of his volition, was the main scientific face of the federal government when the pandemic erupted in the U.S. in March 2020. He participated in daily hearings alongside then-President Donald Trump and resumed his role when President Joe Biden took office.

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