Lawmakers from both parties criticize comments likening House mask mandates to the Holocaust
Greene, in a conversation with the Christian Broadcasting Network’s David Brody Real America’s Voice TV show “The Water Cooler,” attacked Pelosi and accused her of being a hypocrite for asking GOP members to prove they have all been vaccinated before allowing members to be in the House chamber without a mask.
“You know, we can look back at a time in history where people were told to wear a gold star, and they were definitely treated like second class citizens, so much so that they were put in trains and taken to gas chambers in Nazi Germany,” Greene said. “And this is exactly the type of abuse that Nancy Pelosi is talking about.”
“You can never compare health-related restrictions with yellow stars gas chambers and other Nazi atrocities. Such comparisons demean the Holocaust and contaminate American political speech,” the American Jewish Congress said in a tweet in response to Greene’s comments. “Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene must immediately retract and apologize.”
Greene’s office did not immediately respond to CNN’s inquiry about her comments.
“We have a responsibility to make sure that the House of Representatives’ chamber is not a petri dish because of the selfishness of some not to be vaccinated,” Pelosi said.
Greene, who has refused to disclose her personal vaccine status, said Pelosi’s heavy hand is unnecessary.
“This is a woman that doesn’t care about people’s safety,” Greene said on the podcast. “This is a woman that is hyper-focused on her own power and control.”
Pelosi’s office declined to comment on Greene’s remarks.
Multiple lawmakers on both sides of the aisle reacted to Greene’s comments Saturday.
Democratic Reps. Bill Pascrell of New Jersey and David Cicilline of Rhode Island tweeted their criticism of Greene’s remarks.
This story has been updated to include comments from members of Congress.
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to correctly identify where Marjorie Taylor Greene made her comments. They were on David Brody’s Real America Voice show “The Water Cooler.”
CNN’s Rachel Janfaza contributed to this report.
