A public spat between Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Catholic Church leadership is emerging over her criticism of church leadership's support for illegal immigration.
Catholic League President Bill Donohue wrote a letter to the House Ethics Committee, calling for Greene to be "sanctioned" after both sides dug in and refused to apologize for their remarks.
"I asked for an apology, and she publicly said there would be none," Donohue wrote in a letter to committee Chair Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., and Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Ind., the ranking member, taking personal aim at Greene's political standing. "She responded by saying that her sweeping condemnation of the entire Catholic Church was meant only to apply to the bishops, as if that makes her hate speech acceptable."
The letter added, "The time has come for her to be either reprimanded or censured."
The spat began when Donohue rebuked Greene for criticism of Catholic Church leadership's support and aid for illegal immigration, which she said is akin to "Satan's controlling the church."
"What they're doing by saying, Oh, we have to love these people and take care of these migrants and love one another. This is loving one another — yes, we are supposed to love one another, but their definition of what 'love one another' means destroying our laws," Greene told Church Militant last week in an interview.
"It means completely perverting what our Constitution says. It means taking unreal advantage of the American taxpayer."
Donohue denounced Greene's criticism, writing that she opposed "Catholic Charities assisting illegal aliens."
"She had plenty of opportunities to make rational criticisms of the agency, but instead she slandered the entire Catholic Church," Donohue wrote in a statement. "Satan is controlling the Catholic Church? She needs to apologize to Catholics immediately. She is a disgrace."
Greene shot back at Donohue in a lengthy statement posted to Twitter, saying she is a "cradle Catholic."
"The Catholic League's Bill Donohue accused me of slandering Catholics and Catholicism in an interview I gave to Michael Voris at Church Militant," the statement read in part. "Nothing could be further from the truth, and he must apologize promptly and publicly for these words.
"It's the church leadership I was referring to when I invoked the devil. The bishops know that but had their loyal lapdog pretend I was being disrespectful about the faith. Just so we're clear, bishops, when I said 'controlled by Satan,' I wasn't talking about the Catholic Church. I was talking about you."
Greene said the public spat could have been avoided with a call from Donohue about her criticisms of leadership's support for illegal migrants.
"Donohue should have called my office, or had a staffer check Google, before firing off a hysterical-sounding statement," Greene's statement added. "He doesn’t know this, but I am a cradle Catholic. I was born into the church, raised in it, and I was married in the church."
Newsmax called Greene's congressional office, requesting further comment on Donohue's letter to the House Ethics Committee, but has yet to hear back.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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