Chris Smith joins Democrats to strip Georgia congresswoman of committees

The U.S. House of Representatives today voted to strip Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of her committee posts, with New Jersey Rep. Christopher Smith (R-New Jersey) as one of 11 House Republicans to vote with the Democratic majority.

New Jersey’s other Republican, Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis), voted to support Greene, whose anti-Semitic and 9/11 conspiracy theory comments have made an overnight national political figure.

The vote, 230-199, removes Greene from Education & Labor Committee and the Budget Committee.

Greene, a freshman congresswoman from Georgia, has been under fire for promoting conspiracy theories and calling for top Democratic leaders to be executed.  In a 2018 social media post, she blamed Jewish space lasers for creating wildfires in California.

“Today’s vote represented a choice: we could stand up for a way of governing that allows us to disagree without being disagreeable and to work out our differences through trust and civility, or we could allow our institutions to become sideshows where politicians use hate and division to pursue personal agendas,” said Rep. Andy Kim (D-Moorestown).

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee today slammed Van Drew, who served as a Democrat for his first 11 months in Congress, for his vote in support of Greene.

“Today Rep. Van Drew caved to the extremist and dangerous online conspiracy within his party that resulted in the storming of the Capitol and the murder of a police officer and the maiming of dozens of others,” said Christine Bennett, a spokesperson for the DCCC.  “Instead of standing with members of his own party and those across the aisle and holding Marjorie Taylor Greene accountable, Jefferson Van Drew chose to reward her and Van Drew owns whatever comes next.”

Rep. Albio Sires (D-West New York) said that vote to remove Green from her committees was “an appropriate step after her unacceptable comments came to light.”

“Her continued endorsement of political violence is unacceptable and must be rebuked by my colleagues across the aisle if we wish to move forward from our current political climate,” Sires said.  “Her comments directed at a survivor of the Parkland school shooting were disturbing and demonstrate her incapacity to serve on the Committee of Education and Labor. Tonight’s vote was a clear reprimand of senseless conspiracy theories and political violence, which have no place in the House of Representatives and our society.”

As a former federal prosecutor, Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) said that precedent should be taken seriously.

“But to have a member of the House of Representatives, an institution I dearly love and a critical part of our democracy, advocate violence against the Speaker and other elected members is an act I cannot condone and one that renders her unqualified to serve on a committee,” Sherrill said.  “And make no mistake, her tepid statement on the floor of the House was in no way an acknowledgment of guilt nor an apology. ”