Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Wednesday introduced a resolution to censure Rep. Bennie Thompson for inciting violence against former President Donald Trump, including the two assassination attempts.
The resolution the Georgia Republican brought forth focuses on legislation that Mr. Thompson authored and introduced in April titled the DISGRACED Former Protectees Act, which would have stripped former Mr. Trump of his Secret Service protection if he was convicted of a felony and sent to prison.
Mr. Thompson, the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, said when introducing the bill that he was concerned that a Secret Service protective detail could result in special accommodations for Mr. Trump in prison.
“It is regrettable that it has come to this, but this previously unthought-of scenario could become our reality,” he said at the time.
The resolution calls for the immediate censure of Mr. Thompson and requires him to appear in the well of the House for a formal pronouncement of censure. It also mandates a public reading of the resolution by the speaker of the House.
“The kind of reckless, violent rhetoric we are hearing from Rep. Bennie Thompson is beyond dangerous,” Ms. Greene said. “He’s fanning the flames of violence with his words and actions, and we’ve already seen the devastating consequences. This isn’t just political opposition — he’s putting lives at risk.”
She added, “We have a duty to hold him accountable for inciting violence, especially when it comes to assassination attempts against a former president and the leading candidate for president in 2024. The House must act, and we must act now.”
Ms. Greene’s resolution also highlights the remarks of a former aide of Mr. Thompson’s following the first assassination attempt on Mr. Trump. The aide said on her social media page, “I don’t condone violence but please get you some shooting lessons so you don’t miss next time … ooops that wasn’t me talking.”
Mr. Thompson fired that staffer not long after it became known she worked in his office.
Following the July 13 attempt on Mr. Trump’s life at a Butler County, Pennsylvania, campaign rally, Mr. Thompson said his bill would not have “affected the Secret Service’s presence” during that “tragic event.”
“It aims to clarify lines of authority when a protectee is sentenced to prison and is in the custody of another law enforcement agency.” He said, “That does not apply to the former president.”
A Manhattan jury in May convicted Mr. Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records. His sentencing has been delayed until after the election.
Mr. Thompson’s bill has not seen action in the GOP-controlled House.
The attempted assassination of Mr. Trump on Sunday occurred while he played a round of golf at Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Secret Service agents spotted the muzzle of a rifle poking through the tree line. Agents fired at Ryan Routh, 58, who fled the scene without shooting. Mr. Routh was able to position himself within a few hundred yards of the sixth hole and hide there undetected for 12 hours, the FBI said.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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