Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) believes the GOP may be “turning people away” with attempts at more inclusive outreach during the holidays.
The far-right Republican sent the College Republicans a frosty message late Monday after the national group marked the start of Kwanzaa in a Twitter post that also happened to misspell the name of the festival.
“Stop. It’s a fake religion created by a psychopath,” Greene tweeted. “People are tired of pandering and BS.”
Of course, Kwanzaa isn’t a religion at all but a seven-day holiday festival that’s observed from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1.
It was established in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga as a way for Black people to honor their shared African roots, and is celebrated by millions around the world alongside Christmas and Hanukkah.
“It is based on African first harvest celebrations organized around five fundamental kinds of activities: ingathering of the people; special reverence for the creator and creation; commemoration of the past; recommitment to the highest cultural values; and celebration of the Good,” Karenga, who now serves as the executive director of the African American Cultural Center in Los Angeles, notes on his website.
Greene’s allusion to Karenga’s past, however, appears to be a reference to his 1971 conviction on charges of assault and false imprisonment. Calling himself a “political prisoner,” Karenga was released four years later and has long denied the charges.
Still, Greene’s gaffe drew heated responses from many Twitter users.
Earlier this month, Greene sparked controversy when she used a racist term for Asian Americans while attempting to argue that the Republican Party has supporters from diverse backgrounds.
As of Tuesday, the College Republicans had yet to respond to Greene’s remarks. Instead, the group had retweeted Kwanzaa messages from a number of Republican lawmakers, including one that former President Donald Trump sent during his time in office.