Ex-Dem operative 'shocked' by lawmaker he's 'most impressed' with — MTG

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), known for promoting far-right conspiracy theories such as white replacement and Pizzagate, the conspiracy that a Democratic-run child sex-trafficking operation runs out of a pizza parlor in Washington, D.C., has gained an unlikely supporter, at least on one issue.

“Anyone who takes a look at my resume – I worked at a top Democratic Party-aligned think tank and a left-leaning political action committee, where I helped Elizabeth Warren and other Democrats win elections – would acknowledge that over the years, I’ve spent a lot of time in the progressive movement,” writes journalist Zaid Jilani in an op-ed published Wednesday in The Washington Post. The piece was titled, "I might lean left — but Marjorie Taylor Greene is winning my respect."

“And yet, for the past week, the politician I find myself most impressed by is my own congresswoman here in Georgia, Marjorie Taylor Greene.”

On Monday, Greene, a loyal supporter of President Donald Trump and former member of the House Freedom Caucus, broke ranks with her own party in condemning comments made by her Republican House colleague, Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL), as it relates to Israel’s ongoing siege and aid blockade on Gaza.

Fine encouraged Israel to allow Gazans to “starve away” until all Israeli hostages are released, comments made amid growing evidence that the “worst-case scenario of famine” is currently unfolding in Gaza, with 20,000 children admitted for treatment for malnutrition between April and mid-July.

In response, Greene called Fine’s comments “disgraceful,” and labeled Israel’s assault on Gaza a “genocide,” the first Republican member of Congress to do so, and only after two Democratic congressional lawmakers had done so, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI).

“It’s shocking that Greene not only spoke out against the starvation of hundreds of thousands of innocent Palestinian civilians but also referred to Israel’s aid restrictions and bombing campaign as genocide,” Jilani wrote.

“But it’s extremely uncommon among members of Congress, with only a handful – all Democrats – having described what is happening in Gaza as genocide. Using this language, especially to condemn a conservative colleague with an overlapping base of supporters, represents a real political risk.”

Jilani went on to cite other instances of Greene bucking her own party in ways that, he writes, demonstrate a basic level of intellectual consistency. From her refusal to remain quiet as it relates to the ongoing firestorm around Trump and his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein, to her open opposition to the strikes on Iran, Jilani praised what he described as her “recent independent streak.”

“It would be easy for me to assume that Greene, like all MAGA Republicans, is incapable of finding common ground with a constituent like me; but I would be wrong,” he wrote.

“...If even I can nod along with Greene, maybe there’s more hope for bridging what divides us than we realize.”