Marjorie Taylor Greene Calls January 6 Riot Defendants 'Political Prisoners of War'

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene described inmates being held at a Washington, D.C., jail in connection with the January 6 Capitol riots as "political prisoners of war."

The tweet from the Georgia freshman lawmaker follows her criticism of the conditions faced by those being charged over the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Last week, she said she had visited what she described as the "patriot wing" of the jail, tweeting that inmates had "virtually no medical care, very poor food quality, and being put through re-education," without giving further details.

On Wednesday, she shared a tweet by Julie Kelly, a conservative who like Greene has also been critical of the investigation into the riots, which were carried out by former President Donald Trump's supporters.

Conditions in Jail

A screengrab tweeted by Kelly cited an apparent "filing by a J6 defense attorney" that criticized the conditions and treatment faced by their client.

It highlighted two paragraphs, one of which said they had "never seen such a blatant disregard for inmates' rights as I have seen from this DC jail."

In sharing the message, Greene wrote: "No one has argued in defense of the Capitol riot, and I've always openly said I was very upset by it, but after seeing these men myself in the DC Jail, I can attest this abuse is true."

"J6 defendants are political prisoners of war," she added.

As well as her claims of prisoner abuse, Greene, a staunch supporter of Trump, has defended those involved in the riot.

Last month, she told the podcast of Steve Bannon—the former Trump aide—that January 6 "was just a riot...and if you think about what our Declaration of Independence says, it says to overthrow tyrants."

Meanwhile last week, she told Bannon's show, The War Room, that inmates linked to the insurrection "were in "conditions like I've never seen in my life."

Bannon is among Trump allies who have been subpoenaed by the January 6 House Committee looking into the events surrounding the riots.

Over 630 people have been charged over the January 6 insurrection, during which pro-Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol to disrupt the certification of President Joe Biden's victory.

In September, the Associated Press reported that about 63 people were being held in federal custody awaiting trial or sentencing, around half of whom were jailed in Washington.

Inmates at the D.C. complex have said they were being treated unfairly with one claiming he had been beaten, the agency said.

However, earlier this month, the U.S. Marshals Service said after an inspection that January 6 suspects didn't need to be removed.

In October, a federal judge found D.C. corrections officials in contempt over the treatment of one January 6 defendant, The Hill reported, and referred the matter to the Department of Justice to investigate whether others are facing similar conditions.

Newsweek has contacted the D.C. Department of Corrections for comment.