Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) clashed with an Australian television news anchor on Wednesday during an interview that focused on Julian Assange and then transitioned to a question about whether she would accept the results of the 2024 presidential election.
In the interview, Greene did not say whether she would accept the results of the 2024 election if President Biden wins over former President Trump. Instead, she blasted ABC News Australia reporter Sarah Ferguson for asking the question, which Greene said was off-topic.
Ferguson pointed out that Greene has never accepted Biden’s 2020 victory, and when she began to mention her support for the prisoners of the January 6 riot, the congressman interrupted her.
“Sarah, are we talking about Julian Assange?” Greene said, referring to the WikiLeaks founder, who pleaded guilty this week to one felony count in exchange for his freedom after a tumultuous years in which he was accused of leaking classified U.S. military information.
“Sarah, are you really a serious interviewer? I thought we were talking about Julian Assange today and that’s why you asked me to appear on your Australian news show,” Green said.
“I don’t normally do interviews like this because people don’t take people like you seriously,” Green added.
Ferguson did not respond directly, instead focusing on her intended question, which she suggested was relevant because Greene has said her support for Assange is because she values ”the truth.”
“So I want to talk about one of the most impactful questions about truth in America,” Ferguson added.
Greene agreed to hear the question, and Ferguson continued, “You’ve praised people in prison for their roles in the January 6th attack on the Capitol, visited prisons, etc. My question is, if Donald Trump loses the election, what will his MAGA supporters do?”
After initially pointing out that the question had nothing to do with Assange, Greene went on to criticize the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests and argue that the Justice Department is targeting political opponents, including former President Trump and the Jan. 6 defendants.
Trump has also alleged that politics underlie the Justice Department’s case against him, but there is no evidence that President Biden or the Democratic Party is directing the Justice Department’s actions. The Justice Department was also involved in the recent prosecution of two Democrats, Sen. Bob Menedez (R-NJ) and Rep. Henry Cuellar (R-Texas). A special counsel for the Justice Department also recently won a conviction against the president’s son, Hunter Biden.
Greene also criticized the media for the way they reported on the Capitol attack.
“I don’t think that’s what’s going to be shown on the Australian networks, and that’s unfortunate because the media has distorted and lied. And that’s why we applaud Julian Assange because he hasn’t distorted or lied or tried to distort the truth. He told the truth and we’re grateful for that,” Green said.
Ferguson asked his original question again, but more directly: “If it doesn’t go your way, even if Biden wins, would you accept the outcome?”
“Again, what does this have to do with Julian Assange?” Green responded, before asking which network the journalist worked for.
Greene continued: “Is she taking direction from the Democrats? I mean, is this what she came up with today?”
Before ending the interview, Ferguson defended the direction of his questioning.
“You’re a key figure in American politics, the first debate is tomorrow, the outcome of the election is of interest not just to Americans but to people all over the world, so I understand that’s a natural curiosity, but that this is the last question you want answered,” she said, thanking Greene for joining the show.
The controversial interview came as many of Trump’s supporters carefully tried to avoid questions about whether they would accept the election results if Biden wins, with many saying they would, but quickly adding that they had no doubt Trump would win.
The Hill has contacted ABC News Australia’s programming team and Mr Green’s office for further comment.
