What is the antisemitic ‘space lasers’ conspiracy once peddled by Marjorie Taylor Greene?

Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia representative, shocked the internet on Wednesday when footage was released of her telling The News Agents journalist Emily Maitlis to “f*** off” after the reporter questioned the Republican on why Donald Trump attracts so many people - like Greene - who support conspiracy theories.

Maitlis asked: “Can you tell me why so many people that support Donald Trump love conspiracy theories, including yourself? He seems to attract lots of conspiracy theorists.”

In response, Greene said Maitlis was the conspiracy theorist, with “the left and the media” spreading more conspiracy theorists.

“We like the truth, we like supporting our constitution, our freedoms and America First.”

Maitlis pressed further: “What about Jewish space lasers. Tell us about Jewish space lasers.”

At which point, Greene snapped back: “Why don’t you go talk about Jewish space lasers and really, why don’t you f*** off, how about that?”

The question relates to a since-deleted Facebook post from Greene from November 2018, reported by US news outlet MediaMatters in January 2021, concerning the 2018 California wildfire dubbed Camp Fire which killed 85 people.

She wrote: “I’m posting this in speculation because there are too many coincidences to ignore.

“I find it very interested that Roger Kimmel on the board of directors of PG&E [Pacific Gas & Electric, whose faulty electrical grid triggered the blaze] is also vice chairman of Rothschild Inc, international investment banking firm.

“Then oddly there are all these people who have said they saw what looked like lasers or blue beams of light causing the fires, and pictures and videos. I don’t know anything about that but I do find it really curious PG&E’s partnership with Solaren on space solar generators starting in 2009.”

Greene went on to explain the generators collect energy from the sun and then beam it to a transmitter on Earth to generate electricity.

“If they are beaming the sun’s energy back to Earth, I’m sure they wouldn’t ever miss a transmitter receiving station, right? I mean mistakes are never made when anything new is invented.

“Could that cause a fire? Hmmm, I don’t know. I hope not! That wouldn’t look so good for PG&E, Rothschild Inc, Solaren or [then California governor] Jerry Brown.”

The Rothschild family of Jewish bankers have long been the subject of antisemitic conspiracy theories, with America’s Anti-Defamation League saying it “plays on stereotypes of Jewish power and connection to money” by claiming a Jewish cabal led by the family “has been manipulating currency and exerting influence on regional and national events”.

In February last year, while appearing on an episode of Donald Trump Jr’s Triggered with Don Jr podcast, Greene addressed the Facebook post and said: “Some reporter had written an article about the post I had made in 2018 and he titled it ‘Jewish space laser’. That’s how I got labelled with it, but I have never… never even said Jewish.

“The names I mentioned I didn’t know about the people; I just knew their names. But I didn’t know anything about their religion or anything like that.”

Then, in her book MTG released in November, she wrote there is not “an antisemitic bone” in her body and that the Facebook post was a “sarcastic social media post”.

She added: “My Savior is a Jewish carpenter who died on the cross for my sins, and I have no antisemitic sentiments whatsoever.”

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