Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene seems to have altered her stance regarding influential figures accused of sexually assaulting and trafficking minors.
“Regarding P Diddy and now Jay-Z facing allegations of child rape, I firmly believe that individuals guilty of pedophilia should receive the death penalty,” Greene (R-FL) expressed on Sunday via X, the platform previously known as Twitter. “If you rape a child, drug them and forcefully abuse them, trafficking children, and selling them for sex, you deserve the harshest punishment.”
Sean “Diddy” Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Records, is currently in custody at New York’s Metropolitan Detention Center as he awaits trial on federal allegations of sex trafficking and racketeering. Over 150 purported victims—many of whom are men and boys—have stepped forward, leading to nearly two dozen civil lawsuits filed against the disgraced artist.
This past weekend, fellow hip-hop mogul Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter, was included in a lawsuit that alleges Combs raped a 13-year-old girl during a gathering following the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards.
Both individuals have denied these claims, with Carter labeling his inclusion in the lawsuit as an “extortion attempt.”
The developments prompted Greene to criticize the entertainment sector’s “disturbing approach to creating celebrities” and advocate for the dismantling of the alleged child sex-trafficking “industry” in the United States.
While there is an overarching agreement on the necessity to eliminate child sexual abuse and exploitation, Greene’s timing and the individuals she targeted sparked a degree of skepticism on social media.
Just a month ago, she had been threatening her fellow Republican colleagues in a bid to prevent an ethics investigation into her associate, former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL)—who has been accused of sex trafficking minors—from becoming public.
The House Ethics Committee conducted an inquiry into allegations that Gaetz had engaged in paid sex, trafficked underage girls, and misused illegal drugs, yet the Florida legislator stepped down before the findings could be publicized after being nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Department of Justice.
Gaetz has refuted the allegations, referring to them as part of an extortion scheme, and—after withdrawing from the race for the attorney general position—has suggested he might pursue a run for governor of Florida.
Democratic legislators, on the other hand, continue to seek the release of the possibly incriminating House report. Their Republican counterparts—including the seemingly juvenile-justice advocate Greene—voted last week to suppress it.
