McConnell condemns 'loony lies' and conspiracies, calling them a 'cancer' for the GOP

Mitch McConnell.
(Image credit: Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

Without naming Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Monday called the conspiracy theories she spreads "loony lies," adding that they are a "cancer" on the Republican Party.

"Somebody who's suggested that perhaps no airplane hit the Pentagon on 9/11, that horrifying school shootings were pre-staged, and that the Clintons crashed JFK Jr.'s airplane is not living in reality," McConnell said. "This has nothing to do with the challenges facing American families or the robust debates on substance that can strengthen our party."

Greene has a history of making anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim, and racist comments online, in addition to endorsing the idea of executing Democratic leaders. Democratic lawmakers have called on Greene to resign, and while House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has called her statements "deeply disturbing," he has yet to revoke her committee assignments.

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In response to McConnell's comments, Greene tweeted that the "real cancer for the Republican Party is weak Republicans who only know how to lose gracefully. This is why we are losing our country."

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Catherine Garcia

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.