Raising donations off her impeachment of FBI Director
On May 23, Georgia's most divisive and controversial Republican - Marjorie Taylor-Greene - took to Twitter to promote her latest range of fundraising merchandise. The products - mainly t-shirts and baseball caps - are emblazoned with the slogan 'Defund the FBI' and make reference to her sentiments regarding the Federal Bureau of Investigation, an institution that she has repeatedly attacked.
Most recently, as part of her self-titled 'impeachment week', Georgia's MTG introduced articles of impeachment against FBI Director - Christopher Wray - for his part in what she called:
"...utilizing the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a federal police force to punish or intimidate anyone who questions or opposes the current regime."
Wray was just one of a number of officials including U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves, Attorney General Merrick Garland and even President Joe Biden himself.
Regardless of the strength of her conviction that impeachment is the appropriate course of action in relation to the individuals who she has targeted, or whether they are likely to lead to any kind of meaningful change, it seems somewhat cynical for the Georgia Republican to then use her platform as a means of raising money for the furthermost of her own career.
Unfortunately, this isn't the first time she's done such a thing.
MTG encourages 'Enemies of the State' to gear-up
In March of this year, as Taylor-Greene's political-idol - the one-term former president Donald Trump - approached his first court appearance, she appeared to incite protests and civil unrest after initially encouraging "every single Republican (to) go scorched earth" if Trump was eventually detained.
She then appeared to spot a fundraising opportunity and encouraged her supporters on Twitter to get themselves dressed in the appropriate attire - MTG branded T-shirts and hats emblazoned with the slogan 'Enemy of the State' - so that they were properly attired when they go "scorched-earth" on America.
Taylor-Greene's ardent support of Trump through the early phases of the first legal challenges mounted against him has been well-documented. What seems uncertain at this point is how much she may have profited from the drama, thanks to selling her own merchandise off the back of events.
Selling merch or asking for donations on Twitter?
Political fundraising seems to be an integral part of being a politician in the United States today, but it would seem that there are very few restrictions on the lengths that figures like MTG will go to when it comes to raising a few dollars.
In late 2022 when her personal Twitter account was finally reinstated following a ban from the platform that was instigated before Elon Musk took over, she used it to broadcast a plea for supporters to donate to her campaign fund so that she could meet a $700k legal bill incurred in defending herself in a law suit.
Around the same time, she also tweeted asking her supporters to donate to a fundraiser on behalf of the Wisconsin shooter - Kyle Rittenhouse.
Voters of Georgia may find themselves wondering whether this is what they elected MTG to office to do.
Do you think that Georgia's Marjorie Taylor-Greene should be so focused on impeaching key figures in the government, or on raising donations off her own merchandise? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Comments / 131