A review of U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s eligibility to run for a second term begins with a hearing in a state administrative court Friday morning that, barring a last-minute change, will include testimony from the controversial lawmaker.
A group of five voters living in Greene’s 14th Congressional District filed the challenge to her eligibility to serve another term, citing a provision in the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution barring members of Congress from returning to their seats if they participated in an insurrection or rebellion against the government.
The challengers and their attorneys hope to convince Administrative Judge Charles Beaudrot that Greene’s activities leading up to and on Jan. 6, 2021, prove she was at least partially responsible for the riot at the U.S. Capitol. The hearing, which begins at 9:30 a.m., will be livestreamed.
“This hearing is about more than just Marjorie Taylor Greene,” said a media advisory from the group behind the challenge, Free Speech for People. “This is about ensuring that any elected official who takes an oath to defend our Constitution and then engages in insurrection is barred from holding public office again, as mandated by Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, the Insurrectionist Disqualification Clause. Greene and her insurrectionist allies pose a dangerous threat to the future of our democracy that will only grow without accountability.”
No congressional committees or law enforcement entities have accused Greene of wrongdoing. The challengers are hoping that by requiring Greene to testify in person and under oath about Jan. 6, new details can be uncovered.
There isn’t anything currently in the public sphere tying Greene to the violence of that day. She condemned the attack in its immediate aftermath and has repeatedly said she was not involved. Of late, she has focused on condemning the House committee investigating the riot and blasting what she considers the poor treatment of people charged with crimes in the attack.
Greene says the voters’ challenge is nothing more than a publicity stunt by political enemies who want her out of office. Similar challenges were also filed in Arizona and North Carolina against four other conservative lawmakers. None of them has gone as far as the one filed in Georgia against Greene.
“I am the first Republican member of Congress that is going to be forced to take the witness stand under oath and defend myself against a lie and something I never did,” she said during a recent interview on One America News Network.
Greene tried to get the case thrown out, but a federal judge ruled Monday that the review could proceed. Greene said it was setting a “dangerous precedent.”
“I cannot believe that I’m being forced to do this,” she said. “I can’t believe the judge has not thrown this case out and seen it for what it is. It’s nothing but a big, funded scam for the Democrats trying to control our elections.”
The case has even drawn the attention of former President Donald Trump, who has endorsed Greene and blamed the state’s Republican leaders for allowing the challenge to proceed. Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger will take the administrative judge’s recommendations and make a final decision on whether Greene should remain on the ballot ahead of the May 24 Republican primary.
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