Marjorie Taylor Greene says something strange happened to her TV: The Georgia congresswoman sent a tweet that was weird even by her standards, alleging her television “turned on by itself”
Marjorie Taylor Greene: Going Crazy?
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is certainly known for outrageous social media posts, which often accuse her opponents of exaggerated wrongdoing, and at other times lay out extensive, dubious conspiracy theories.
A tweet she sent over the weekend was strange for a whole other reason.
“Last night in my DC residence, the television turned on by itself and the screen showed someone’s laptop trying to connect to the TV,” Greene said on Twitter Sunday.
She then pivoted to stating “Just for the record: I’m very happy. I’m also very healthy and eat well and exercise a lot. I don’t smoke and never have. I don’t take any medications. I am not vaccinated. So I’m not concerned about blood clots, heart conditions, strokes, or anything else. Nor do I have anything to hide.”
She concluded by stating that “I just love my country and the people and know how much they’ve been screwed over by the corrupt people in our government and I’m not willing to be quiet about it, or willing to go along with it.”
The implication, it would appear, is that someone was trying to spy on the Congresswoman, but it’s not clear why they would do so by turning on her TV and showing her exactly what was happening.
Greene did not provide any photos or video, or any evidence that this had happened. She did share a 2019 CBS News report about how “your smart TV may be spying on you,” according to a warning from the FBI’s Portland field office.
“Beyond the risk that your TV manufacturer and app developers may be listening and watching you, that television can also be a gateway for hackers to come into your home,” the FBI warning stated, TechCrunch reported at the time. “A bad cyber actor may not be able to access your locked-down computer directly, but it is possible that your unsecured TV can give him or her an easy way in the backdoor through your router.”
There was much mockery of Marjorie Taylor Greene after she sent the tweet.
“Are they in the room with us right now?,” Greene’s colleague, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), tweeted while quoting her. Greene and Swalwell had a high-profile run-in during a hearing in April, in which Greene accused the Congressman of being “someone who had a sexual relationship with a Chinese spy.” This led to the admonishment of Greene by the committee, and while the comments about Swalwell were not “taken down” from the record, her accusation that Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas was a “liar” was.
“Am I the only one who doesn’t know what the tv screen looks like when it shows ‘someone’s laptop trying to connect to the TV,’ journalist Josh Marshall said on Twitter. “I wanted to be prepared for when I have my first psychotic break.”
The controversy comes after Greene had a confrontation on the House floor with Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), her former ally, in which Greene accused Boebert of stealing her ideas for impeaching President Biden. And on Friday, it was reported by Axios that the House Freedom Caucus was weighing the idea of removing Greene.
Members of the Caucus, per Axios, are “becoming increasingly frustrated with the Georgia conservative for a variety of reasons,” although some members of the group expressed doubt that she actually would be kicked out of the Freedom Caucus.
Politico had reported earlier that the Caucus was considering “trying to boot members who no longer meet the group’s standards,” with Marjorie Taylor Greene mentioned specifically. The accusation is that Greene, who has formed an alliance with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and sided with him on key questions, has gotten too close to leadership. Some members, per the outlet, believe that “certain group members are too aligned with GOP leaders and too outwardly critical of the group when it splits on certain issues.”
Expertise and Experience: Stephen Silver is a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive. He is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.
From 19FortyFive
Donald Trump Is Starting to Scare Everyone
