House Republicans resist pressure to oust lawmaker

US Republican lawmaker whose social media posts have provoked outrage will not be stripped of her committee posts by the party leadership.

House of Representatives Republican leader Kevin McCarthy disavowed Marjorie Taylor Greene’s remarks, but noted they came before she was elected.

Democrats, who control the chamber, said they would vote to expel Mrs Greene from her committees on Thursday.

Republicans are now seeking to oust a Democratic lawmaker from committees.

Taylor Greene

She is a newly elected congresswoman, representing a district in the southern state of Georgia.

Before taking office, she liked posts calling for violence against Democratic lawmakers, claimed that school shootings and the 9/11 terror attack were staged events, and suggested Muslims should not serve in government, among other comments online.

Her harangue of a teenage survivor of a school shooting in Parkland, Florida, was recently unearthed.

Last month, Mrs Greene introduced a measure attempting to impeach US President Joe Biden, accusing him of corruption and abuse of power, which made her a heroine of the party’s pro-Trump wing.

Top Republican lawmakers have been outspoken in their criticism of Mrs Greene’s past comments.

Senator Marco Rubio of Florida called her “either deranged or a sadist”. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said she had embraced “loony lies” that were a “cancer” to the party. Senator Todd Young of Indiana called her “nutty” and “an embarrassment”.

Olusola Akintonde/BBC