Always a bit telling when congressional reporters insist that "no one knew who" a candidate was. https://twitter.com/pkcapitol/status/1356791120815128577

I understand the point being made there: is it better to point out her fringe views or just ignore them so as not to give her more attention?

And the answer is... I don't know? Probably some sort of balance there?

Here was @AlKapDC in JUNE of last year: https://twitter.com/AlKapDC/status/1270685008274042885

Here was @ehananoki in AUGUST of last year reporting on Greene's 9/11 conspiracy theories and false belief that Obama was a Muslim https://www.mediamatters.org/congress/qanon-candidate-marjorie-taylor-greene-911-conspiracy-theorist-who-claimed-theres-no

More from @ehananoki and @AlKapDC in AUGUST last year, reporting on Greene's belief that Obama hired MS-13 to assassinate DNC staffer Seth Rich https://www.mediamatters.org/seth-rich-conspiracy-theory/gop-backed-house-candidate-marjorie-taylor-greene-obama-administration

As Alex says here, she was on his radar since January 2020, and local media had reported her ties to the QAnon conspiracy in August 2019 https://twitter.com/AlKapDC/status/1356992142489522176

Politico reported on her bigoted comments and fringe beliefs in June of last year. She claimed that there was "an Islamic invasion of our government." At the time, @GOPLeader and @SteveScalise disavowed her.

What changed? That's a big story.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/17/house-republicans-condemn-gop-candidate-racist-videos-325579

In August, @ehananoki reported on Greene's belief that the Trump supporter who was caught mailing pipe bombs to Democrats and Trump critics was actually part of a false flag operation (he wasn't) https://www.mediamatters.org/congress/members-congress-received-pipe-bombs-2018-house-candidate-marjorie-taylor-greene-called-it

In 2018, Greene shared a video that promoted an anti-semitic conspiracy theory that Jews were trying to destroy Europe through immigration https://www.mediamatters.org/congress/marjorie-taylor-greene-shared-anti-muslim-video-portrays-jewish-people-trying-destroy

There is a very real story to be covered now, and it has to do with @GOPLeader: what changed between June, when McCarthy's spokesperson said he had "no tolerance" for Greene's bigotry and August when he warmly welcomed her into the GOP conference https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/qanon-georgia-greene-trump/2020/08/12/150c3aa6-dcad-11ea-809e-b8be57ba616e_story.html

McCarthy's flip-flop is just... extremely cynical. The comments of hers that came out after June have only gotten worse, but he was suddenly fine with her. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/qanon-georgia-greene-trump/2020/08/12/150c3aa6-dcad-11ea-809e-b8be57ba616e_story.html

So if you want to cover her without putting the focus on her, that's what you do: you cover the more interesting story of how and why she went from being shunned by the GOP to suddenly being treated like someone in good standing.

They knew who she was.

And the thing about this... this is exactly what happened with Trump. Remember in 2015 and 2016 (when it looked like Trump was going to lose) and a bunch of people in the GOP spoke out against him... only to do a 180 and go full lapdog once he was elected? Same thing here.