Marjorie Taylor Greene said she didn’t ‘know Nick Fuentes’ or about his views before she spoke at his event

• Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene explained her decision to attend an event hosted by Nick Fuentes.
• Fuentes is an alt-right figure who the Anti-Defamation League calls a “well-known white supremacist pundit and organizer.”
• Greene on Saturday said she didn’t know anything about him or his views before she appeared.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Saturday defended her decision to speak at an event organized by alt-right figure Nick Fuentes, claiming she didn’t know anything about him or his views when she decided to speak there on Friday.

The GOP lawmaker on Friday night made a surprise appearance at a far-right conference organized by Nick Fuentes, who is known for statements questioning the existence of the Holocaust, criticizing interracial marriage, and praising Jim Crow-era segregation.

“Well, hello canceled Americans,” Greene said at the event, called the American First Political Action Conference, according to a video of her remarks.

She told attendees she was “thrilled to be here tonight and I’ll tell you why, I think I need to talk to you about who I am, what I see as the future of our country, and the future for all of you.”

—Robert Costa (@costareports) February 26, 2022

In a video posted by CBS News reporter Robert Costa, Greene at CPAC on Saturday addressed and defended her appearance Saturday. 

“I have got to get to the airport, but I’m glad to talk to you about this,” she said, adding: “I do not know Nick Fuentes. I’ve never heard him speak. I’ve never seen a video. I don’t know what his views are, so I’m not aligned with anything that may be controversial.” 

Greene said she went to the event to “address his very large following,” which she called “very young.” 

“It’s a generation I’m extremely concerned about it,” she said, adding that she wanted to talk about “America First policies” and what’s “important for our country going forward. 

Greene quickly pivoted, saying she rebuked the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin in his unprovoked attack this week on Ukraine and criticizing President Joe Biden, calling him “weak” and blaming the unrest in Ukraine on his leadership.

Greene appeared flustered when the reporter pushed back on Fuentes, asking if she endorsed his views.

“I don’t know what his views are,” the conservative lawmaker said.

“He’s a white nationalist,” the reporter responded.

As Insider previously reported, the Anti-Defamation League previously deemed Fuentes a “well-known white supremacist pundit and organizer.”

“I do not endorse those views,” Green said on Saturday. “The reason why I went was to talk to the audience. Just like I’ve talked to many different audiences. I’ve talked to Democratic union workers earlier this week. I talked here at CPAC. I talked to his people who were there.

She added: “It wasn’t an alignment. It was to talk about getting everyone together to save our country,” she said before she left and refused to answer further questions.