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White House press secretary Jen Psaki said she did not want to “elevate conspiracy theories” when asked about Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on Jan. 29. (The Washington Post)

Two major Jewish groups are condemning freshman Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-Ga.) support in 2018 for an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory about the origins of the Camp Fire, California’s deadliest wildfire in history.

In a statement Friday afternoon, the Republican Jewish Coalition called Greene “far outside the mainstream of the Republican Party” and said it was “working closely with the House Republican leadership regarding next steps in this matter.”

“The RJC has never supported or endorsed Marjorie Taylor Greene,” the group said. “We are offended and appalled by her comments and her actions. We opposed her as a candidate and we continue to oppose her now.”

Earlier Friday, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, a Jewish nonprofit, said in a statement that it was “outraged by the statements, past and present,” made by Greene and called for congressional leaders to take action to hold the Georgia Republican accountable.

“As an avid supporter of QAnon, Representative Greene espouses antisemitic canards, such as placing blame on ‘the Rothschilds’ for recent wildfires in California and declaring that ‘Zionist supremacists’ are behind supposed nefarious plots,” the group said. “There must be a swift and commensurate response from Congressional leadership making clear that this conduct cannot and will not be allowed to debase our politics.”

On Friday morning, the White House declined to weigh in on Greene’s conspiracy theories, including her statements about the California wildfire.

“We don’t want to elevate conspiracy theories further in the briefing room, so I’m going to leave it at that,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters when asked about Greene’s past statements.

According to a report Thursday by the liberal watchdog group Media Matters for America, in November 2018, Greene wrote in a now-deleted Facebook post that “there are too many coincidences to ignore” regarding the wildfire.

Fire officials have concluded that the fire was caused by equipment operated by Pacific Gas & Electric. But conspiracy theorists, including followers of the QAnon extremist ideology — which Greene supports — have baselessly suggested that the wildfire was caused by a laser beam fired from space and that then-California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) and the Rothschild family were somehow involved.

“If they are beaming the suns energy back to Earth, I’m sure they wouldn’t ever miss a transmitter receiving station right??!!” Greene wrote in the Facebook post, according to Media Matters. “I mean mistakes are never made when anything new is invented. What would that look like anyway? A laser beam or light beam coming down to Earth I guess. Could that cause a fire? Hmmm, I don’t know. I hope not! That wouldn’t look so good for PG&E, Rothschild Inc, Solaren or Jerry Brown who sure does seem fond of PG&E.”

Amid mounting criticism of her actions, Greene sent out a defiant fundraising email Friday in which she repeatedly referred to Trump and challenged Republicans to stand with her, contending that her supporters “will be vital to Republicans taking back the House in 2022.”

“I will never back down,” Greene said in the email, which was sent to supporters and did not address the substance of the reports about her past statements. “I will never give up. Because I am one of you. And I will always represent you.”

Hours earlier, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) office sent out an email highlighting the GOP freshman class, describing the members as “a strong representation of who America is and where we come from.”

The message notably did not mention Greene. McCarthy will meet with Greene next week, according to an aide. The leader has said he will have a conversation with the freshman lawmaker.

Two Democratic House members, Reps. Nikema Williams (Ga.) and Sara Jacobs (Calif.), announced Friday afternoon that they plan to introduce legislation next week to formally censure Greene, citing, in part, her pattern of online activity approving of the execution of Democratic leaders and federal agents.

Source: WP