Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) scorched Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on Wednesday over her “very dangerous” misinformation just as Hurricane Milton strikes his home state, a Category 3 storm that has already left millions without power.
“And then obviously, we have my favorite, Marjorie Taylor Greene, who runs the Mensa caucus, talking about the fact that we have a weather machine,” said Moskowitz, a former director of Florida’s emergency management division, in an interview with MSNBC’s Jason Johnson.
“You know, if there are aliens watching and they’re looking at all of this, they can definitely confirm there is no intelligent life in Congress with Marjorie Taylor Greene talking about a weather machine being used for politics. It’s very dangerous.”
The Georgia Republican shared a conspiracy theory on social media earlier this month claiming that “they can control the weather” following Hurricane Helene’s devastating effects on the southeast.
“It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done,” wrote Greene, who is known for her bonkers claims.
Greene would later seemingly double down on talk of people “controlling” the weather, pointing to a map of areas impacted by Hurricane Helene and tying it to a map of political affiliations in the area.
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden went after both Greene and former President Donald Trump for their part in pushing “disinformation” about the federal government’s response to hurricanes.
“We’re controlling the weather! It’s beyond ridiculous. It’s got to stop,” Biden said.
The GOP nominee has recently spewed lies at campaign events about the Hurricane Helene response including a claim that Vice President Kamala Harris spent “all” of Federal Emergency Management Agency’s money on housing for immigrants.
Moskowitz, when asked what the impact of misinformation is on the ground as Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida on Wednesday, noted that there’s always been “disaster politics in the emergency management industry.”
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“We saw it in Katrina, dealt with it in COVID, obviously, but the misinformation that we’re seeing being put out now is very dangerous,” Moskowitz said.
“I mean at some point in time we’ll see people tell residents not to evacuate because the hurricane’s not really hitting you and that’s really where it’s headed.”
Moskowitz added that people are trying to evacuate and make decisions on what’s best for their families in Florida so Democrats, Republicans and emergency managers “have to combat” the claims.