By Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and George Santos both fled the scene of growing protests outside the Manhattan courthouse where former President Donald Trump was arraigned Tuesday.
Greene and Santos joined pro-Trump protesters near the New York courthouse hours before Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts. Greene was listed as a headliner for a 10:30 a.m. rally organized by the New York Young Republican Club.
But within minutes of their separate arrivals, after reporters and counterprotesters surrounded the lawmakers, both of them fled the scene. Santos left before the protest’s official start time.
In Greene’s case, demonstrators with whistles and drums drowned her out shortly after she reached the rally.
Follow CNBC’s live coverage of Trump’s arraignment Tuesday.
The right-wing provocateur Greene, in an interview with Right Side Broadcasting, said that they left the area after being “swarmed” by protestors.
“We were swarmed. Unbelievably swarmed,” Greene told the outlet after she left the protests.
She also said she would be conducting interviews on Tuesday from within a car while she’s in New York. She later expects to head to Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s private club in Florida, where the former president plans to respond on camera to the indictment brought against by a New York grand jury.
Greene told Right Side Broadcasting that she spoke with Trump on Monday. She said the former president is “completely committed to fighting this injustice,” and seemed to compare him to Jesus.
“President Trump is joining some of the most incredible people in history being arrested today. Nelson Mandela was arrested; served time in prison. Jesus. Jesus was arrested and murdered by the Roman government,” she said.
Greene previously tweeted that she was looking “forward to seeing everyone in NYC this morning at 10:30 AM in Collect Pond Park to protest the political persecution of President Donald J. Trump.” Santos, who has been caught repeatedly lying about his resume, recently said on Twitter that “the weaponized justice system is going after conservatives with political bias.”
Representatives for Greene and Santos did not return requests for comment.
Santos tweeted in apparent defense of his decision to flee the protest.
The congressman wrote: “Say what you want, I showed up what about you?”
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