Attorney who questioned Greene says her testimony ‘stretches credulity’
The attorney who questioned Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) during a hearing last week that examined her eligibility to serve in public office following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot said the congresswoman’s response to some questions “stretches credulity.”
Asked on CNN’s “New Day” on Monday morning if Greene committed perjury during the hearing and if he plans to make a referral, Andrew Celli Jr. said that determination will be made by a judge in the Peach State.
“The question of perjury is really for other people to decide and most importantly for Judge Beaudrot down in Atlanta to decide. He has to find the facts here,” Celli said.
“But I will say it stretches credulity that this woman can make these kinds of statements, make them publicly on her Facebook page in front of her hundreds of thousands of Facebook followers and the millions of people who view her comments all the time, and then claim she doesn’t remember. It’s shocking to me,” he added.
Greene testified on Friday after a group of Georgia voters challenged her candidacy, claiming that her alleged role in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection disqualifies her from running for or serving in Congress. They are seeking to have Greene struck from the primary ballot for her reelection bid next month.
The voters are citing a provision in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, known as the Disqualification Clause, that blocks people from holding federal office if they previously took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution but “engaged in insurrection” against the U.S.
They say she played a key role in stoking the riot and should be held responsible.
During her testimony, Greene said she did not remember the answer to a question a number of times, including if she spoke to government officials about planned protests on Jan. 6 and conversations she may have had with other lawmakers.
Celli told CNN that the case is a “developing situation.”
“Our work in Georgia was really just part of trying to enforce the Constitution. The 14th Amendment to the Constitution forbids someone engaged in insurrection from standing for election to federal office. That’s essentially what we’re trying to do,” Celli said.
“There are other investigations. There’s a federal investigation, there’s a congressional investigation, and this story has not played out yet,” he added.
At Friday’s hearing, Greene’s lawyer argued that her efforts to block the certification of Electoral College votes for the 2020 presidential election were “legitimate political speech” and protected under the First Amendment.
He said the congresswoman should not be held responsible for the actions of the rioters and argued that blocking Greene from the primary ballot would deny constituents in the district the opportunity to vote for the candidate of their choice.
The Hill has reached out to Greene for comment.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.