Pelosi issues statement blasting ‘cowardly’ GOP leader ‘McCarthy (Q-CA)’

Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) office called out House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Wednesday for failing to take action against GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), referring to him as “McCarthy (Q-CA)” and mocking him for a lack of courage in a statement circulated by her office.

The toughly worded statement used critical remarks from Republicans such as Senate Minority Whip John Thune (S.D.) to underscore a GOP divide over Greene, who has supported the QAnon conspiracy theory in the past. 

Democrats have set up a House vote Thursday to remove Greene from her committee assignments because of a series of controversial past statements by the first-term lawmaker, who has questioned whether school shootings were faked and supported calls for violence against Pelosi and other Democratic officials. 

“After several conversations and literally running away from reporters, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Q-CA) made clear that he is refusing to take action against conspiracy theorist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene,” the release stated.

“As a result, the House will continue with a vote to strip Greene of her seat on the esteemed House Committee on Education & Labor and House Committee on Budget. McCarthy’s failure to lead his party effectively hands the keys over to Greene – an anti-Semite, QAnon adherent and 9/11 Truther.”

The release said McCarthy’s “cowardly refusal to deal with Greene breaks with calls from Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Rep. Adam Kinzinger, the Republican Jewish Coalition and several prominent members of the party to take action against Greene.”

McCarthy reportedly met with Greene on Tuesday night along with the GOP Steering Committee, which determines members’ committee assignments, but did not reach a resolution.

Greene responded to the efforts to remove her from the committees on Twitter on Wednesday.

“They are only set out to destroy Republicans, your jobs, our economy, your children’s education and lives, steal our freedoms, and erase God’s creation. And the bloodthirsty media are their henchmen who help them by relentlessly attacking anyone in their path,” she tweeted.