Kevin McCarthy condemns Marjorie Taylor Greene's 'appalling' Holocaust comparison

Kevin McCarthy
(Image credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is calling out Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) for her "appalling" Holocaust comparisons.

The Republican leader condemned Greene in a statement on Tuesday after she compared mask mandates to the Holocaust.

"Marjorie is wrong, and her intentional decision to compare the horrors of the Holocaust with wearing masks is appalling," McCarthy said. "The Holocaust is the greatest atrocity committed in history. The fact that this needs to be stated today is deeply troubling."

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During a recent interview, Greene claimed that Jewish people being "told to wear a gold star," "treated like second class citizens," and being "put in trains and taken to gas chambers in Nazi Germany" is "exactly the type of abuse that Nancy Pelosi is talking about" in requiring masks in the House chamber, reports CNN. Amid heavy criticism over the comments, Greene has doubled down and continued to make similar Holocaust comparisons on Twitter.

McCarthy also criticized the anti-Semitism he said is "on the rise in the Democrat Party," and alleged it's being "completely ignored by Speaker Nancy Pelosi." He wrote, "Let me be clear: the House Republican Conference condemns this language." McCarthy did not mention any potential action that could be taken against Greene.

A spokesperson for House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) also criticized Greene, says The Hill, saying he "does not agree with these comments and condemns these comparisons to the Holocaust."

Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.