Mitt Romney calls Marjorie Taylor Greene, Paul Gosar 'morons' and 'certainly missing a few IQ points'
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) had some harsh words for Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), and any other Republicans who attend white nationalist events and support Russian President Vladimir Putin amid the invasion of Ukraine.
Greene and Gosar both participated in the America First Political Action Conference Friday in Orlando, with Greene speaking in person and Gosar appearing in taped remarks, CNN reports. The conference was organized by white nationalist Nick Fuentes. During an interview Sunday on CNN's State of the Union, Romney said there is "no place in either political party for this white nationalism or racism. It's simply wrong ... it's evil as well."
As for Greene and Gosar specifically, "I don't know them, but I'm reminded of that old line from the Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid movie where one character says, 'Morons, I've got morons on my team,'" Romney said. "And I have to think anybody that would sit down with white nationalists and speak at their conference was certainly missing a few IQ points."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) tweeted a video on Saturday of Fuentes introducing Greene at the event and calling on the crow to "give a round of applause for Russia." Cheney wrote, "As Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rep. Paul Gosar speak at this white supremacist, anti-Semitic, pro-Putin event, silence by Republican Party leaders is deafening and enabling. All Americans should renounce this garbage and reject the Putin wing of the GOP now."
Romney told CNN that Putin has been "an adversary of America at every chance he's had," and hearing Republican say they support him is "unthinkable to me, it's almost treasonous and it just makes me ill to see some of these people do that. But, of course, they do it because if they get shock value and it's good to get more eyeballs and maybe make a little more money for them or their network. It's disgusting."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
China and India's dam war in the Himalayas
Under The Radar Delhi's response to Beijing's plans for a huge dam in Tibet? Build a huge dam of its own right nearby
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Born this way
Opinion 'Born here, citizen here' is the essence of Americanism
By Mark Gimein Published
-
What does Trump's immigration crackdown mean for churches?
Today's Big Question Mass deportations come to 'sacred spaces'
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
OpenAI announces ChatGPT Gov for government use
Speed Read The artificial intelligence research company has launched a new version of its chatbot tailored for the US government
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Caroline Kennedy urges Senate to reject RFK Jr.
Speed Read Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s cousin said he should not become President Donald Trump's health secretary, calling his medical views 'dangerous'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
GOP senator reneged on voting against Hegseth
Speed Read North Carolina senator Thom Tillis provided the deciding vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as defense secretary
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump sparks chaos with spending, aid freezes
Speed Read A sudden freeze on federal grants and loans by President Donald Trump's administration has created widespread confusion
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump feuds with Colombia on deportee flights
Speed Read Colombia has backed off from a trade war with the U.S., reaching an agreement on accepting deported migrants following tariff threats from President Donald Trump
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump proposal to 'clean out' Gaza gets cool reception
Speed Read U.S. allies Jordan and Egypt rejected President Donald Trump's suggestion that Palestinians leave Gaza
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump orders release of JFK, RFK, MLK Jr. files
Speed Read The president signed an executive order to release classified documents related to the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Judge pauses Trump's birthright citizenship ban
Speed Read A federal judge in Seattle temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's 'unconstitutional' executive order to overturn birthright citizenship
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published