Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) had an unsettling experience this weekend. Greene she says her television at her Washington, D.C. residence turned on by itself. According to the conspiracy theorist congresswoman, a laptop was trying to connect to it.
She suggested that means either someone is trying to kill her or spy on her.
“Just for the record: I’m very happy. I’m also very healthy and eat well and exercise a lot. I don’t smoke and never have. I don’t take any medications. I am not vaccinated,” Greene tweeted. “So I’m not concerned about blood clots, heart conditions, strokes, or anything else.”
Conspiracy theorists often post about being in good health and sound mind when they believe they may be assassinated as a way to highlight that they don’t have any suicidal ideation or would die accidentally.
Greene later made more pointed allegations that someone was trying to surveil her through her TV, much like the Thought Police spied on citizens in the classic George Orwell novel 1984. In a follow-up tweet, she shared a 2019 article about the Federal Bureau of Investigation warning that smart TVs are vulnerable to being hacked and even used to spy on people.
She also retweeted a meme of former President Barack Obama with binoculars and headphones on.
Greene’s take was resoundingly mocked.
Many related their own experiences inadvertently trying to connect to others’ smart TVs, which are discoverable by other devices, or having others do the same to their TV.
“I’ve accidentally tried to connect to other people’s tv[s] in my apartment complex,” wrote one. “It doesn’t mean I’m trying to spy, nor does it mean anything weird is happening.”
People thought Greene’s insinuation that the incident means someone is planning to assassinate her was unhinged.
“Yeah every time someone tries to access my WiFi I know that means they’re coming to kill me,” historian Kevin M. Kruse tweeted.
“A belfry thick with bats, is what we’re dealing with here,” joked blogger Jeff Tiedrich. (Saying someone has bats in the belfry is a way of accusing them of acting crazy or eccentric.)
Greene was undeterred by these jeers. She later doubled down on her claim about the TV by sharing a Newsweek article that noted her history of sharing misinformation and being a conspiracy theorist.
“You know what they say about conspiracy theorists,” Greene wrote, implying that having such theories means you’re actually right.
The tweet prompted a fresh round of ridicule.
“Could the spying on you be attributed to a (Rothschild) space laser?” @LolaOnThePath commented, referring to one of Greene’s whackier theories.
“My TV is watching me is the new Republican talking point,” said another.
