Marjorie Taylor Greene's Russian Propaganda Post Sparks Backlash

Marjorie Taylor Greene has triggered a backlash after posting Russian propaganda about the war in Ukraine.

Posting on X, formerly Twitter, the Georgia representative, who has consistently been critical of aid to Ukraine since the war began in February 2022, posted an article originally published by The Islander, a self-professed geopolitical analysis site, and reposted by the Strategic Culture Foundation (SCF) and wrote: "Anyone who votes to fund Ukraine is funding the most corrupt money scheme of any foreign war in our country's history.

"And forcing the American people to pay for it."

The article claimed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's closest associates bought two yachts worth a combined total of $75 million in October and speculated they may have used Western aid to do so.

But a community note added by other X users said: "Rep. Greene is reposting content from the Strategic Culture Foundation, a Russian state propaganda outlet sanctioned for spreading disinformation and interfering in U.S. elections," alongside links to information about the foundation.

X users can leave context notes on any post and if enough contributors from different points of view rate that note as helpful, it is publicly shown on a post.

Meanwhile, commenting on her post X users further disagreed with her. One said: "The majority of Americans don't want to pay your salary, yet here we are."

Another wrote: "Why is anyone taking this woman seriously? Can't you see the whole Trump squad does nothing but this?"

And a third said: "Burn! You got fact checked. Of course you would source it from a Russian foreign ministry that spreads misinformation."

Newsweek contacted representatives for Greene by email to comment on this story.

The SCF is a Russian think tank and publication. In 2020, The Washington Post reported it had spread false information that Bill Gates was making a coronavirus vaccine with surveillance capabilities.

In April 2021, the Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on the SCF over alleged interference in the 2020 presidential elections.

In a statement, it said the SCF "created false and unsubstantiated narratives concerning U.S. officials involved in the 2020 U.S. presidential election."

It added: "It publishes conspiracy theorists, giving them a broader platform to spread disinformation, while trying to obscure the Russian origins of the journal so that readers may be more likely to trust the sourcing."

In March 2022, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on 26 individuals and seven entities, some of whom were employees of the SCF, for spreading disinformation ahead of the war in Ukraine. Seven individuals connected to the foundation also face sanctions from the United Kingdom.

Greene has previously criticized funding for the war in Ukraine, posting earlier this month about "the Ukraine scam."

In a Facebook video in March 2022, one month after Russia's invasion, she said that providing funding will extend the conflict and result in more deaths.

"It's not our responsibility to give Zelensky and the Ukrainian people false hope about a war they cannot win," she said.

Last month, President Joe Biden submitted a request to Congress for $106 billion that would go toward military and humanitarian aid for Israel and Ukraine, as well as humanitarian assistance to Gaza. That request earmarked $61.4 billion for Ukraine but the House of Representatives only approved the aid for Israel.

House Speaker Mike Johnson told a news conference before the November congressional recess, "Ukraine will come in short order. It will come next."

Earlier this month the Department of Defense announced a new $100-million package of support including "additional air defense capabilities, artillery ammunition, anti-tank weapons, and other equipment to help Ukraine defend its sovereign territory and fight for its freedom from Russia's ongoing war of aggression."

Meanwhile, American public's support for aid to Ukraine has been declining. According to a Gallup poll released earlier this month, 61 percent of U.S. adults said there "should be a time limit" on American aid, compared to 37 percent who said the U.S. should continue its support "as long as Ukraine requests it."