Marjorie Taylor Greene deleted video of her at AOC’s office. Fresno far-right agitator didn’t
While Marjorie Taylor Greene deleted her 2019 video in which she calls out Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and others, a Fresno far-right agitator who was with her did not.
The congresswomen are in the news this week because Greene berated Ocasio-Cortez in a U.S. Capitol hallway. CNN reported Friday that Greene’s interactions with Ocasio-Cortez predated her time in Congress by showing footage from 2019 when she stood outside Ocasio-Cortez’s locked Washington office calling her “crazy” and a “baby.” Greene since deleted the video, but she was in a group with Ben Bergquam of Fresno County who also filmed the activities.
Bergquam often posts videos of himself on social media, where he expresses xenophobic views similar to those of the Proud Boys. He often identifies himself as a member of the media, though he doesn’t produce journalistic work and mostly publishes content on social media.
Bergquam has denied being a Proud Boy, but he has attended several Proud Boy events. Bergquam was convicted of assault in Texas last year after assaulting a Telemundo cameraman at the U.S. border in 2019.
From the looks of Bergquam’s Frontline America Facebook page, he has known Greene for years.
Greene, a Republican from Georgia, was elected to Congress in November 2020. She has repeated claims from QAnon, including the Pizzagate conspiracy theory and another that claimed the 2018 California wildfires were started by space lasers. She has faced criticism after berating Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., on Wednesday in the halls of the U.S. Capitol.
In Bergquam’s 2019 video, Greene is seen recording from her cellphone as the group roams the U.S. Capitol from one congressional office to the next. Another person in the group is Anthony Aguero, who CNN reported entered the Capitol during the January insurrection.
Bergquam tells his audience that before starting the live stream, the group already stopped by the offices of Reps. Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff, and Maxine Waters. He says next on their list is Ocasio-Cortez and Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw.
When the group arrived at AOC’s office, it was locked. They called out her staffers through the mail slot, mocked the congresswoman and drew a wall in a guest book.
Later in the video they visit the offices of Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, where they made Islamophobic and transphobic comments.
During their visit, the group was followed closely by Capitol police. One officer warns the group not to leave threatening messages on Post-It notes for Ocasio-Cortez outside her office.
Since CNN’s story ran, Ocasio-Cortez tweeted that since House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has protected Greene from consequences, the Republican Party supports Greene’s behavior. She said if “the shoe were on the other foot” the GOP would call for her expulsion. She also told CNN she believes Greene is “unwell.”
In a tweet, Omar compared Greene’s actions to “a classic stalker situation” and said it’s beyond concerning, calling for action before it becomes dangerous.
This story was originally published May 14, 2021 at 4:57 PM.