Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia is facing social media mockery for asking how much money a Illinois school received to teach critical race theory.
The Georgia Republican asked the question in a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing. Ms Greene now sits on the panel after she was removed from her committee assignments last Congress for previous racist and antisemitic comments as well as promoting various conspiracy theories.
Ms Greene asked US Comptroller General Gene Dodaro how much money meant for Covid-19 relief went toward teaching “CRT.”
Mr Dodaro asked what “CRT” meant, seeming confused.
“It’s a racist curriculum used to teach children that somehow their white skin not equal to black skin and other things in educstion,” she said.
“No, I do not know that, but I do know there’s provisions that the federal funds generally are not used, or supposed to be used for curriculum,” she said.
Ms Greene refuted Mr Dodaro in response.
“I have to tell you in Illinois, they received $5.1bn at an elementary there that used it for ‘equity and diversity,’” she said.
Critical Race Theory is a niche legal theory taught in law schools and is not taught in elementary school. However, many Republicans have called any attempts to teach about equity, inclusion or racism “critical race theory.”
In turn, many people on social media mocked Ms Greene.
Sen Chris Murphy of Connecticut got in on the action:
Former GOP Rep Adam Kinzinger piled on, tweeting: “I still am amazed at how dumb @RepMTG is”.
“MTG says that an elementary school in Illinois got $5.1 billion in federal funds to teach ‘equity and diversity.’ Seems unlikely,” longtime financial journalist James Surowiecki tweeted.
“Tell me again how we're supposed to be respectful toward the idiots that buy into this sewage,” David Rothkopf, a foreign policy commentator, tweeted.
And political commentator Mehdi Hasan added: “Marjorie Taylor Greene thinks an elementary school in Illinois received 5 billion dollars (!) for diversity and equity. I have no words left.”
