Marjorie Taylor Greene Won't Attend Joe Biden's Inauguration

Controversial Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene won't be attending the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden this week.

A spokesperson for Greene told Newsweek that she's declining the invitation given to all members of Congress "primarily due to security concerns."

Greene, who was elected to represent Georgia's 14th District in the fall, was one of 139 members of the U.S. House who voted against the certification of Biden's election just hours after a mob of President Donald Trump's supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, sending members and Vice President Mike Pence into secure locations. Five people died in the riot, including a police officer.

Sources close to several other Republicans who voted against the certification of Biden's election, including U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and House Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana, have confirmed to Newsweek those members plan to attend the inauguration, despite their earlier objections.

The swearing-in ceremony already had been scaled back because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic—allowing each member of Congress just one guest, rather than the thousands of tickets they normally get to distribute to their constituents for standing space along the National Mall.

After the riot, security has been enhanced with thousands of National Guardsmen monitoring the Capitol, which has been surrounded in a beefed-up security perimeter. Trump is not expected to attend.

Greene, who was temporarily suspended from Twitter on Sunday after repeated violations of the social media site's "civic integrity policy," has become a lightning rod for the conservative moment, frequently peddling conspiracy theories.

Twitter has banned Trump after he pushed false claims about the election and the riot, which broke out after he told his supporters at a rally near the White House that they should go to the Capitol to challenge the election certification.

Greene has said she plans to file articles of impeachment against Biden shortly after he's inaugurated.

"The Republican Party needs to change things up," Greene said during an appearance on Newsmax's National Report last week. "The silent majority in this nation is fed up with being the target and not having representatives, not having people in Congress stand up for them."

The U.S. House, with support from 10 Republican members joining their Democratic colleagues, voted last week to impeach Trump for a second time after the violent Capitol siege, though the Senate isn't expected to take up its vote on whether he should be convicted until after he's already left office this week.