Taylor Greene tests McCarthy with caustic comments

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is setting up a new test for House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy.

Why it matters: The freshman Republican from Georgia made a series of bizarre and outlandish remarks before her time in Congress that rival former Rep. Steve King's talk of white supremacy.

What’s happening: The latest round of Greene comments, pulled from archives of her Facebook page, show the congresswoman promoting an outlandish, QAnon-adjacent conspiracy theory about Hillary Clinton cutting off and donning the face of a child.

• That comment was reported by the progressive group Media Matters for America, which previously noted her endorsements of claims that 9/11 was perpetrated by the American government, and that the Parkland school shooting was staged.
• CNN reported Tuesday that Greene had floated executing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for treason, and “liked” Facebook comments suggesting the execution of FBI agents.

What they're saying: Mark Bednar, a spokesperson for McCarthy, told Axios he is aware of the comments and will discuss them with Greene.

• "These comments are deeply disturbing and Leader McCarthy plans to have a conversation with the Congresswoman about them," Bednar said in an emailed statement.

Between the lines: When McCarthy stripped King, then a Republican congressman from Iowa, of his committee assignments in 2019, he signaled he was setting a threshold for the public comments of his caucus members.

• King had wondered publicly why terms like “white nationalism” and “white supremacy” had suddenly “become offensive.”
• Whether Greene’s comments cross the same line remains to be seen.

In an interview with The Dispatch last year, King predicted McCarthy would use the threat of similar reprisals to keep Greene in line.

• “He’ll hang the sin that he committed against me out in front of her like the sword of Damocles,” King said.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with Bednar's comments.