Marjorie Taylor Greene was branded a “crazy fool” and urged to “shut the hell up,” in a fiery attack from a fellow Republican.
The comments were made by Michael Steele, a former Republican National Committee (RNC) chair, in response to Greene’s call for a “national divorce” between red and blue states.
Greene’s proposal has largely been met with hostility from conservative figures, ranging from Liz Cheney to Steve Bannon, solidifying her position on the hard-right fringe of the Republican Party.
Steele, who served as RNC chair from 2009-2011, commented on the plan during an appearance on MSNBC show The 11th Hour.
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Asked about Greene’s comments by host Stephanie Ruhle, he replied: “She has no clue what the hell she’s talking about. Why do we listen to this crazy fool?
“Marjorie Taylor Greene, please just shut the hell up. Do us all a favor. You are an embarrassment to the Republican Party and to the country as a congresswoman. You sit there, you say this kind of crazy.
“Mitt Romney said it best. We fought that war. A Republican president lost his life over trying to save the union, and this fool wants to split it? So, here we go. This is the kind of crazy that requires a lot of heavy thinking, because she isn’t.”
Steele concluded by urging Greene and her supporters to take your “ass somewhere else and give us back our money.”
Romney, the former Republican presidential nominee, condemned Greene’s proposal last week, while speaking to reporters in Congress.
The senator said: “I think Abraham Lincoln dealt with that kind of insanity. We’re not going to divide the country, it’s united we stand, divided we fall.”
Greene explained her proposal in more depth on February 21, in a 13-tweet long Twitter thread.
After concluding the American left and right have “irreconcilable differences,” she called for a “national divorce” that would see most powers devolved from the federal government, to the state level. Central government would still be responsible for defense and border security but other policy areas, including law enforcement, education and energy, would almost entirely be decided by the individual states.
The plan has found little support among Greene’s fellow Republicans, and has been condemned by conservative figures from both the left and right of the movement.
Bannon, Trump’s former chief White House strategist, said he was “one million percent” against the plan, which he compared to spitting on the graves of Civil War veterans at Arlington National Cemetery.
Liz Cheney, a former Republican lawmaker and vocal Trump critic, tweeted: “Secession is unconstitutional. No member of Congress should advocate secession, Marjorie.”
However, Fox News host Sean Hannity did express sympathy for the idea, commenting: “I don’t see middle ground on a lot of these issues. So what is the other answer if it’s not a divorce?”
Marjorie Taylor Greene has been contacted for comment.
