A 60 Minutes interview turned fiery after Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and the host engaged in a tense exchange, in which each accused the other of contributing to the current divisive political environment.
Greene sat down with host Lesley Stahl weeks after announcing her plan to step down from Congress in January following a public falling out with President Donald Trump. During the interview, Greene described an unhelpful “toxic political culture,” prompting Stahl to try to hold the Republican lawmaker accountable for her years of insults targeted at Democrats.
The show aired a clip of Greene shouting “liar!” at former President Joe Biden during his February 2023 State of the Union address and footage of the Georgia Republican mocking Texas Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett for her “fake eyelashes” before showing Greene apologizing on CNN last month: “I would like to say humbly, I’m sorry for taking part in the toxic politics.”
During the 60 Minutes interview, however, Greene didn’t offer a mea culpa.
“It’s the most toxic political culture and it’s not helping the American people,” the Georgia Congresswoman said.
Stahl interjected: “But, you contributed to that! You! You were out there pounding, insulting people.”
“Lesley, you’ve contributed to it as well,” the Republican lawmaker retorted, to which Stahl questioned: “Me?”
“Yes, you’re accusatory, just like you did just then,” Greene said.
“I know you’re accusing me, but I’m smiling —” Stahl replied.
“You’re accusing me!” Greene cut in, beaming a full-tooth smile.
“I am accusing you,” Stahl said before Greene said: “But we don’t have to accuse one another.”
The journalist refused to back away from her initial point. “I want you to respond to what you have done in terms of insulting people, yelling at people, and then saying –” Stahl started before Greene interrupted.
“I’d like for you to respond for that. No, you can respond for that,” the Congresswoman said.
“I don’t insult people,” Stahl said firmly.
“You do in the way you question. And you’re accusing me right now,” Greene said.
Over the past few months, Greene has broken with her party — and her once close ally Trump — over several major issues, including siding with Democrats to support extending health care subsidies during the government shutdown and pushing to release the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Apparently fed up with Greene, Trump last month nicknamed her “Marjorie Traitor Greene.”
Later that day, Greene described receiving “a hotbed of threats against me” that are “being fueled and egged on by the most powerful man in the world.” She was referring to Trump adding: “The man I supported and helped get elected.”
A week later, the Georgia firebrand issued a four-page statement announcing her decision to resign early from Congress. Since she began representing Georgia’s 14th district in 2021, she’s endured “nonstop never ending personal attacks, death threats, lawfare, ridiculous slander and lies about me,” Greene said in the statement.
At one point in the 60 Minutes interview, the GOP lawmaker accused Trump of “directly fueling” the death threats against her family after Stahl asked why Greene opted not to “stay and fight.”
“After President Trump called me a traitor, I got a pipe bomb threat on my house. And then I got several direct death threats on my son,” Greene said.
“You say the president put your life in danger,” Stahl added. “You blame him, you say he fueled a ‘hotbed of threats’ against me, and that you blame him for the threats against your son.”
“The subject line for the direct death threats against my son was his words – Marjorie Traitor Greene,” the former MAGA cheerleader answered. “Those are death threats directly fueled by President Trump.”
