Marjorie Taylor Greene's attack on Guam has not been going over well with Guam
Guam has been a part of the United States since 1899, but no one told Marjorie Taylor Greene until it was too late.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s false allegation that the U.S. territory of Guam is a foreign nation has prompted mockery and criticism, along with a response from the U.S. National Guard.
Addressing a crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Florida in February, Greene included Guam in a list of foreign nations purportedly receiving foreign aid.
“We believe our hard-earned tax dollars should just go for America. Not for, what? China, Russia, the Middle East, Guam, whatever, wherever,” said Greene.
Guam has been a part of the United States since 1899. Over 160,000 Americans live there, and people born in Guam are Americans. Guam is also home to multiple American military bases.
On Monday, Guam Del. Michael San Nicolas (D), along with members of the Guam National Guard, visited Greene’s congressional offices.
“Guam isn’t represented in the Congress by a lone Delegate, but by the service and sacrifice of everyone who has gone before us, everyone alongside us, and everyone who calls Guam home,” San Nicolas wrote in a Facebook post along with a video of the visit.
He delivered cookies and literature on Guam to Greene’s office, though she was not there to receive it.
Other Guam-based officials have also commented on Greene’s gaffe, with most mockingly noting that her mistake has given them an opportunity to raise awareness of Guam.
Maj. Gen. Esther J.C. Aguigui, adjutant general of Guam National Guard, told the Pacific Daily News that the Guard thanks Greene “for ultimately helping raise awareness of Guamanians as citizens of the U.S.”
“We welcome every opportunity to share our island’s rich history and strategic importance on the national stage,” said Krystal Paco-San Agustin, communications director for Guam’s Democratic governor, Lou Leon Guerrero.
Jesse Alig, the mayor of Piti, Guam, who leads the Mayors’ Council of Guam, said he called Greene’s office to respond to her claim because he wanted to relay to her that “we are one of the most patriotic citizens of America.”
In an op-ed column, former Guam Gov. Carl T.C. Gutierrez extended an invitation to visit Guam to Greene.
“I extend this personal invitation to you to visit Guam, so you can see for yourself how our fellow Americans’ tax payments are being invested to advance U.S. interests through the American island of Guam,” Gutierrez wrote.
Even Greene’s fellow Republicans acknowledged she made a mistake.
Juan Carlos Benitez, chair of the Republican Party of Guam, said he had reached out to Greene’s office and noted she had a “misunderstanding of Guam’s relationship in our nation.”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.
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