Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., triggered an online calamity on Monday after three Republican senators signaled support to confirm President Joe Biden's nominee to the Supreme Court, calling all three Republicans "pro-pedophile."
"[Sens.] Murkowski, Collins, and Romney are pro-pedophile," she tweeted. "They just voted for #KBJ."
Murkowski, Collins, and Romney are pro-pedophile.
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) April 5, 2022
They just voted for #KBJ.
Greene's remarks, widely shared over Twitter, fall in line with the Republican-led smear campaign that was waged against Ketanji Brown Jackson during her confirmation hearings last month when several Republican senators brought up the federal judge's past sentencing of child porn offenders. Many conservatives accused Jackson of handing down decisions that were far too lenient, even though her jurisprudence on child sex offenses is well within the mainstream.
RELATED: Republicans turn Ketanji Brown Jackson's Supreme Court confirmation hearings into a QAnon circus
On Monday, Greene's tweet drew a maelstrom of criticism from her detractors, many of whom pointed out that Georgia Republican herself is a close friend and ally of Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who remains stepped in a federal investigation of child sex trafficking allegations.
Still, a broad array of conservatives lent a greater platform for Greene's baseless equivalency, suggesting that Romney, Collins and Murkowski's recent votes makes them pedolhile-aligned.
"Watch your kids around Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski AND Mitt Romney," Lavern Spicer, a Republican congressional candidate for Florida, tweeted. "Because they're voting to put through a SCOTUS justice who barely thinks child porn is a crime."
"Romney wants a pedophile apologist in the supreme court, your kids fighting WW3 & masks on our faces," echoed Joe Kent, a Republican congressional candidate for Washington. "Trump endorsed America 1st Congressional candidate for WA-3. He is our enemy, tread him as such.
Utah can do better! Sean Davis @FDRLST pointed out Mitt Romney opposed Ketanji Jackson’s appointment to lower court less than yr ago, but now thinks she’s highly qualified for SCOTUS after learning she’s soft on pedophiles & doesn't know what a "woman" is.
— Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) April 5, 2022
RELATED: Why Republican cries about Robert Bork still ring hollow
Meanwhile, Mollie Hemingway, Editor-in-Chief of right-wing news site The Federalist, added to the chorus by way of intimation, claiming that "the only new info since [Romney] voted against [Jackson] a few months ago was increased awareness of her' 'soft-on-pedos' approach, which makes this new Romney position super interesting."
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The only new info since he voted against her a few months ago was increased awareness of her “soft-on-pedos” approach, which makes this new Romney position super interesting. https://t.co/n0oWhqiZUz
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) April 5, 2022
Hemingway's tweet drew immediate outrage from Stephen Hayes, the former Fox News commentator who recently left the conservative network to join MSNBC.
"Why is it super interesting? Say what you mean. Enough bullshit innuendo," Hayes quote-tweeted her. "Are you suggesting Mitt Romney is a pedophile? Or just pro-pedophile?"
Sean Davis, CEO of The Federalist, quickly rushed to Hemingway's defense, calling Hayes "an incompetent, chickenhawk clown who managed the impossible task of running a blank check magazine [The Weekly Standard] into the ground."
"And all you have left now is running interference for pedophile apologists and peddling DNC propaganda in exchange for a booster seat on MSNBC," Davis added.
You’re an incompetent, chickenhawk clown who managed the impossible task of running a blank check magazine into the ground, and all you have left now is running interference for pedophile apologists and peddling DNC propaganda in exchange for a booster seat on MSNBC. https://t.co/hNONECMDhO
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) April 5, 2022
The right-wing Twitter meltdown comes amid much broader Republican effort to draw associations between pedophilia and LGBTQ+ community, with state lawmaker proposing and passing a wave of bills ban the instruction and discussion of sex and gender in classrooms. Conservatives have largely argued that these laws are designed to prevent left-wing teachers and administrators from "grooming" and "sexualizing" school children.
RELATED: Disney hysteria and litter boxes: Republicans' deeply odd war on LGBTQ people escalates
