House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) brushed off concerns over two Republican QAnon supporters who were elected to the House last week during a Thursday news conference.
When asked about whether he has concerns about QAnon-aligned Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert — who were both elected to the House GOP in Georgia and Colorado, respectively — McCarthy appeared unbothered by both House GOP-elects who’ve publicly backed the complicated pro-Trump conspiracy theory.
QAnon centers around an unfounded belief that a “deep state” is undermining the President, who is the last line of defense against child-molesting Democrats.
“Our party is very diverse and you mentioned two people who will join our party and both of them have denounced QAnon,” McCarthy said, after laughing off the question.
McCarthy found a way to jab at the press as he implored the media to give the QAnon-aligned House GOP-elects a chance.
“And the only thing I would ask of you in a press, these are new members, give them an opportunity before you claim what you believe they have done and what they will do,” McCarthy said. “I think it’s fair for all.”
Greene’s unsurprising win came after she ran unopposed in Georgia’s deep-red 14th District. Greene came under fire when her past comments backing the QAnon conspiracy theory emerged, which included a video of her in 2017 saying “Q is a patriot, we know that for sure.”
Although Greene told Fox News in August that she no longer talks about “Q” after finding “misinformation” and that the far-right conspiracy theory would not reflect her priorities in Congress, she has not flat-out denounced QAnon itself.
Boebert, a gun-rights activist, said in a May interview that she hopes QAnon is “real.”
“It only means America is getting stronger and better, and people are returning to conservative values, and that’s what I am for,” Boebert said in May.
Boebert also told Colorado Public Radio recently that although she is not a follower of QAnon, she does not “believe that’s a radical notion to want to get rid of people trying to undermine the president of the United States.”
Watch McCarthy’s remarks below:
McCarthy on Marjorie Taylor Green and Lauren Boebert who align with QAnon: "Give them an opportunity before you claim what you believe they have done, and what they will do." pic.twitter.com/DuQ59r1UiN
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) November 12, 2020
