Democrat Slams Marjorie Taylor Greene for Giving Jan. 6 Defendants 'Hugs'

Representative Robert Garcia slammed Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene for giving defendants charged in the 2021 Capitol riot "hugs."

Greene, a Georgia Republican, is among the conservatives to raise concerns about the treatment of January 6 defendants. More than 1,100 Americans have been charged for their alleged roles in the riot, when a group of former President Donald Trump's supporters violently protested the 2020 presidential election results, allegedly to block Congress from certifying then-President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

Some conservatives have accused prosecutors of targeting individuals involved in January 6 for political purposes, arguing the Department of Justice has become weaponized against Republicans. Some on the right have even suggested federal agents may have been involved in inciting the riot to frame conservatives, though this theory has not been backed by credible evidence.

Greene urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to create a new select committee after he released some Capitol security footage from the riot earlier this month, calling for "investigations and ACCOUNTABILITY for ALL of the lies, deceit, and lives ruined" in a November 19 post to X, formerly Twitter.

Greene faced new criticism this week from Garcia, a California Democrat, over her behavior during a March 2023 visit to a Washington, D.C., jail holding some of the defendants.

"We walk in, and Marjorie Taylor Greene is leading this group, and the first thing she does when we walk in and meet them is greets them and hugs them and prays with them and apologizes, and is treating them like heroes," Garcia said during an interview with left-leaning news network MeidasTouch on Thursday. "And I'm sitting there going, 'This is disgusting. These people attacked our government. They tried to overthrow our government."

Garcia said during the visit, to which he was sent to observe for Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, he refused to shake the hands of January 6 defendants while Republicans including Greene were giving them "attaboys for what they did."

Newsweek reached out to Greene's office for comment via email.

Greene has previously dismissed criticism about her stance on the January 6 defendants, telling The Associated Press following the March jail visit that allegations she is trying to "rewrite history" is the "stupidest thing" she has ever heard of.

"You can't change the history, but what we can do is expose the truth. That's what we need to do," Greene said.

Following the release of the Capitol riot tapes earlier this month, Greene and other Republicans amplified a theory that one rioter could be seen holding a law enforcement badge. However, that theory was debunked, as the rioter, Kevin Lyons, was actually holding a vape. Greene has since edited an X post to remove references to that theory.