Rep.-elect Greene tweets that masks are ‘oppressive’

Controversial Rep.-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on Friday tweeted that masks used to prevent the spread of the coronavirus are “oppressive” and that people should free their faces.

Greene criticized calls to wear masks that were part of the new member orientation, though the incoming lawmaker was also photographed wearing a mask.

“Our first session of New Member Orientation covered COVID in Congress. Masks, masks, masks…. I proudly told my freshman class that masks are oppressive. In GA, we work out, shop, go to restaurants, go to work, and school without masks. My body, my choice. #FreeYourFace,” Greene tweeted. 

Rep.-elect Greene was in fact wearing a mask at freshman orientation today. https://t.co/bTDJKMKx7b pic.twitter.com/aOAIo9mg3i

— Cristina Marcos (@cimarcos) November 13, 2020

The nation is experiencing a new wave of coronavirus cases and deaths, with states across the country reporting spiking numbers.

Georgia is no exception. The White House Coronavirus Task Force announced this week Georgia was placed back in the “red zone” after an increase in cases. 

Public health experts have repeatedly called on people to wear masks to reduce the spread of COVID-19, arguing it is one of the best ways to keep numbers down. 

But these messages have repeatedly been ignored by a number of Republicans, including President Trump, who has rarely been seen with a mask even before his own COVID-19 diagnosis.

Since first launching her bid for Congress, Greene has come under fire for numerous controversies, including her past support for the QAnon conspiracy theory. She previously said that “Q,” the mysterious figure who posts anonymous messages online that serve as the foundation for the theory, is a “patriot,” in a YouTube video from 2017.

After winning her primary, she later attempted to distance herself from the conspiracy theory, telling Fox News in August that she doesn’t consider herself the QAnon candidate. 

She sparked controversy after videos emerged of her making bigoted remarks and publicly questioning whether a plane crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11, comments she later walked back.