Marjorie Taylor Greene calls far-right activist Laura Loomer’s rhetoric ‘huge problem’ that ‘doesn’t represent MAGA’

CNN

By Clare Foran and Haley Talbot, CNN

Washington (CNN) — GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized far-right activist Laura Loomer on Thursday, saying that her “rhetoric and hateful tone” is concerning and a problem and “doesn’t represent MAGA as a whole.”

The comments from Greene, a Georgia Republican who has her own high-profile history of incendiary and inflammatory remarks, come after the congresswoman called on Loomer to take down an X post, in which Loomer said if Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, who is half Indian, wins, “the White House will smell like curry & White House speeches will be facilitated via a call center.”

Greene called the post “extremely racist,” and wrote in response on X, “This does not represent President Trump.”

Asked by CNN’s Manu Raju if she would encourage Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump not to keep close contact with Loomer, Greene said, “This is such an important election. I don’t think she has the experience or the right mentality to advise a very important presidential election.”

It’s the latest sign of infighting on the far-right as the presidential election nears, highlighting tension and divisions among Trump supporters over how the Republican Party and its presidential nominee should position itself to voters.

Appearing dazed and flustered by an unfamiliar and fast-changing political landscape upended by Harris becoming the Democratic presidential nominee, Trump has unleashed a torrent of mean-spirited missives, race-baiting insults and conspiratorial broadsides that even close allies and donors have acknowledged as unproductive in recent days.

Loomer has been on a handful of trips with Trump, appears often at events where he is speaking and there have been times her bombastic social media posts have appeared to preview Trump’s next line of attack.

Loomer told CNN of the post: “It’s interesting how the media wants to, once again, falsely accuse me of being a racist. This is a woman who is on video cooking Indian food with Indian celebrities talking about how she likes cooking with curry.”

Asked by Raju about Loomer, Greene said on Thursday, “I have concerns about her rhetoric and her hateful tone. To me, many of the comments that she makes and how she attacks Republicans like me, many other Republicans that are strong supporters of President Trump, I think they’re a huge problem. And that doesn’t represent MAGA as a whole.”

“I just felt like it was time to call it out. I think it’s wrong. We’re not a party of identity politics,” Greene said, adding that Republicans need to focus on policy, “not attacking people for their race.”

Asked if she has reached out to Trump about Loomer, Greene said, “I’ve spoken with President Trump, but I’m not going to go into the details of our personal conversation.”

Greene has faced her own criticism for racially charged and incendiary comments throughout her time in Congress.

In May, Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett criticized Greene, calling her “racist,” following a tense House Oversight markup that quickly devolved into personal attacks.

Greene sparked outrage when she commented on Crockett’s appearance. “I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what you’re reading,” Greene said.

Speaking to reporters about the incident, Crockett said, “That’s all it is, it is racism. And she decided that she was going to be that person out loud and out front on yesterday.”

When asked by CNN’s Abby Phillip why she believes Greene’s comments were racist, Crockett said the Georgia Republican was echoing criticisms of her appearance that she often hears from MAGA supporters online and said that while other women in Congress wear lashes, she felt she had been singled out as a Black woman.

Asked for comment by CNN at the time, Greene’s office said, “The only member that brought up any reference to color was congresswoman Crockett.”

House Democrats – along with some Republicans – voted in 2021 when they controlled the chamber to remove the congressomwoman from her committee assignments in the wake of unearthed incendiary and violent past statements from Greene that triggered widespread backlash from Democrats and divided congressional Republicans.

Greene defended herself ahead of the vote in a speech on the House floor and attempted to distance herself from the dangerous and debunked QAnon conspiracy theory, which she has previously embraced.

CNN’s Alayna Treene, Kristen Holmes, Steve Contorno and Kit Maher contributed to this report.

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