Greene's 'go back to your country' remarks to UK reporter sparks fury

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
27 Mar 2025 13:43

Congresswoman deflects questions about classified Signal leak with xenophobic remarks, sparking bipartisan concern over national security breach.

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., arrives before President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP)

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene ignited controversy Wednesday when she told Sky News reporter Martha Kelner to "go back to your country" after being pressed about a major security breach involving Trump administration officials.

The heated exchange occurred as Greene faced questions about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz reportedly discussing classified military plans for a Yemen strike on Signal – an unsecured messaging app – where they accidentally included a journalist in the chat.

The congresswoman then pivoted to attacking UK immigration policies before cutting off further questions. The confrontation, captured on C-SPAN, went viral within hours.

“We don't give a crap about your opinion and your reporting. Why don't you go back to your country where you have a major migrant problem? You should care about your own borders.”

— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaking to a British reporter. @RepMTG 👀 pic.twitter.com/w9WBuq72F2
— Dilly Hussain (@DillyHussain88) March 27, 2025

The White House has been facing scrutiny after The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was sent details of a planned US strike on Yemen. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had shared classified attack times and operational details in a Signal chat, which included National Security Advisor Mike Waltz—who inadvertently invited Goldberg to the group.

The incident has raised concerns over why high-level officials were discussing sensitive military operations on an unsecured messaging app and how they failed to notice an outsider's presence.

Greene’s heated exchange with Sky News

During a press conference, Sky News reporter Martha Kelner attempted to ask Greene about the leak’s implications, but the congresswoman quickly cut her off.

"Wait, what country are you from?" Greene asked.

Kelner, a UK journalist, was about to respond when Greene dismissed her, "OK, we don't give a crap about your opinion and your reporting. Why don't you go back to your country where you have a major migrant problem? You should care about your own borders... Do you care about your own country? What about all the women that are raped by migrants?"

As Kelner persisted with her question, Greene refused to engage, saying, "No, no, no, we're done." She then turned to another journalist, stating, "An American journalist," to which an unidentified male reporter replied, "I'd like to hear your answer to what [Kelner's] asking."

Greene ignored the question and instead criticized former President Joe Biden’s immigration policies, praising Trump’s administration. The exchange, captured on C-SPAN, quickly went viral on X, garnering millions of views.

Following the press conference, Kelner confronted Greene again, asking whether Hegseth should resign. Greene responded, "Absolutely not. He's doing a great job," before walking away.

Reactions and fallout

National Security Advisor Mike Waltz addressed the controversy on Fox News, insisting, "We're going to get to the bottom of it. I just talked to Elon on the way here, we've got the best technical minds looking at how this happened, but I can tell you, I don't know this guy [Goldberg]. I know him by his horrible reputation and he really is a bottom scum of journalists, and I know him in the sense that he hates the president, but I don't text him, he wasn't on my phone and we're going to figure out how this happened."

Goldberg, speaking on MSNBC, responded, "The secretary of defense seems like a person who is unserious and is trying to deflect from the fact that he participated in a conversation on an unclassified messaging app that he probably shouldn't have participated in."

Senator Roger Wicker, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has called for an expedited Inspector General probe into the Signal chat leak. He stated that he is working with Democratic ranking member Senator Jack Reed to push for an investigation and a classified briefing on the incident.