Late night hosts survey how the GOP is handling Marjorie Taylor Greene, QAnon, and 'Jewish space lasers'
Republicans are at loggerheads over how to respond to a newly elected Georgia congresswoman's recent history of beyond-the-pale commentary, and for people new to the controversy, The Late Show said Wednesday, "the catchiest way to recite Marjorie Taylor Greene's conspiracy theories is through music."
Yes, "Washington is in the grips of what some are calling the 'GOP's civil war,"' Stephen Colbert elaborated at The Late Show. "It's like the first Civil War, but this time both sides use the Confederate flag." This battle pits "traditional Republicans" like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell against Greene's "QAnon conspiracy wing," he said. "House Democrats are preparing to vote tomorrow on whether to strip Greene of her committee assignments" due to her conspiracies, one of which really burns. "Come on!" Colbert said. "If there were a 'secret Jewish space laser,' would Mel Gibson still be?"
House Republicans decided Wednesday they won't take action against Greene, but McConnell and other Senate Republicans are distancing themselves, calling her "nutty," "an embarrassment," and a "kook," Colbert said. And "one Republican has found a creative way to duck the controversy, Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville," who said "the weather" keeps him from knowing the news. Colbert pivoted to former President Donald Trump's impeachment case and Newsmax's embarrassing MyPillow guy episode.
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"I gotta ask, does MyPillow actually work?" Seth Meyers asked at Late Night, showing CEO Mike Lindell yelling at Newsmax. "Because this guy looks like he hasn't slept in a year."
"Trump is gone, but that doesn't mean we can just forget about the crimes he committed, the calamities he unleashed, and the forces he exposed, because those forces are at the very heart of modern Republican Party and will be going forward," Meyers said, pointing to Greene. "And yet GOP leaders in the House have refused to sanction her," and "others have brushed the controversy aside, for example Lindsey Graham," who wants to know if she really believes in Jewish space lasers before passing judgment.
"Graham is now the latest Republican to try to rationalize the words and tweets of QA-nut congresswoman Margarine Taylor Greene, specifically when it comes to her thoughts on Jewish space lasers," Jimmy Kimmel said on Kimmel Live. "Maybe she meant to say Jewish losers are starting the forest fires in California? Anyways, we're putting her in charge of children's education, just to be safe." Peter Weber
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
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