Yahoo News Fact Check: Photo Shared on X Purportedly Shows Marjorie Taylor Greene Wearing Mask in Airport. Here Are the Facts
Claim:
A picture shows U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., wearing a surgical-style mask in an airport.
Rating:
On June 3, 2024, X users shared a picture purportedly showing U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. wearing a surgical-style mask in an airport after verbally attacking former White House Coronavirus Task Force member Dr. Anthony Fauci during a U.S. House hearing on the COVID-19 pandemic:
(@LakotaMan1 / X)
The caption on one of these posts read, "So, attacking Dr. Fauci and criticizing vaccines and mask efficacy, then WEARING a mask in public is the very definition of Republican HYPOCRISY."
The Photo Was Shot in 2021
The truth of this matter is that although the photo of Greene is real, it was taken years before the House hearing took place. Politico.com first reported the existence of the picture on Sept. 20, 2021, during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) still had in place a face mask requirement policy for airports.
The Politico.com article featured an uncropped version of the same photo (archived). The story read, "SPOTTED: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), masked and waiting in line to board a flight at the Atlanta airport." The picture's exact capture date was unclear.
A reverse-image search on the TinEye.com website found numerous past results for the photo from 2021. A Sept. 20, 2021, Reddit post displayed a meme with the picture reading, "I will comply. If I get to fly." Another Reddit post from the same day featured the text caption, "As soon as the TV cameras go away, Marjorie Taylor Greene puts on her mask." Other users also shared the photo on X, Imgur.com and TikTok, including one person who once responded with the picture under Colorado Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert's posted thoughts about a Southwest Airlines matter involving employees and vaccine mandates.
Users Respond to Photo of Greene
Even though the photo of Greene wearing a mask was three years old, some users appeared to assume it was new. One user replying to the post remarked, "Wow!!!! @RepMTG you are catching on! Now [that] you're getting Covid kills, you might want to find an N95. However, that little paper mask isn't gonna do you any good but hats off for trying."
Another response read, "I am afraid she is sick, in which case she is not exactly doing much to prevent the spread of airborne viruses."
A different user sarcastically commented with a reference to Greene's beliefs about the COVID-19 pandemic, "I thought Fauci was lying about all of it?"
Several other commenters also replied under the post to point out the photo originated in 2021, not 2024.
Greene Blasted Fauci in Contentious Hearing
A contentious congressional hearing appeared to inspire the June 3 posts highlighting Greene's photo. Earlier on the same day, Greene blasted Fauci during a hearing of the House Oversight and Accountability subcommittee on the coronavirus pandemic. Fauci was the top U.S. infectious disease expert until he left the government in 2022. He was also a leading medical voice in the news media during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the hearing, Greene verbally charged Fauci with what she claimed was a mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic. She referred to him as "Mister Fauci" instead of "Dr. Fauci." According to PBS.org, Fauci "graduated at the top of his class" and earned his doctorate of medicine from Cornell University's Medical College (now Weill Cornell Medicine) in 1966.
Greene ended her speaking time by properly referencing him with his title of doctor but also making perhaps her most charged comment of the day, saying, "We should be writing a criminal referral because you should be prosecuted for crimes against humanity. You belong in prison, Dr. Fauci."
Readers can watch Greene's remarks and Fauci's responses in full on the C-SPAN website.
For further reading, Snopes recommends "The Coronavirus Collection: Fact-Checking COVID-19."
Sources:
Bade, Rachel, et al. "POLITICO Playbook: Scoop: Sinema Issues Ultimatum to Biden." Politico.com, 20 Sept. 2021, https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2021/09/20/scoop-sinema-issues-ultimatum-to-biden-494397.
Chan, Diana. "Anthony Fauci Biography and Career Timeline | American Masters | PBS." American Masters, 15 Feb. 2023, https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/anthony-fauci-biography-and-career-timeline/26116/.
"DHS to Increase Civil Penalties for Violations of the Federal Face Mask Requirement | Transportation Security Administration." TSA, 9 Sept. 2021, https://www.tsa.gov/news/press/releases/2021/09/09/dhs-increase-civil-penalties-violations-federal-face-mask.
"Dr. Fauci Responds to 'unusual' Comments from Marjorie Taylor Greene in Covid Hearing." YouTube, CNN, 3 June 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxwcdiX9dPI.
"Dr. Fauci Testifies on U.S. Response to COVID-19 Pandemic | C-SPAN.Org." C-SPAN, 3 June 2024, https://www.c-span.org/video/?536025-1/dr-fauci-testifies-us-response-covid-19-pandemic.
Evon, Dan. "Snopes Tips: A Guide To Performing Reverse Image Searches." Snopes, 22 Mar. 2022, https://www.snopes.com//articles/400681/how-to-perform-reverse-image-searches/.
Kuchar, Savannah. "'It's like Clockwork': Fauci Points to MTG in 'pattern' of Continued Threats." USA TODAY, 4 June 2024, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2024/06/04/fauci-responds-greene-hearing-threats/73968347007/.
Neergaard, Lauran. "Fauci Pushes Back Partisan Attacks in Fiery House Hearing over COVID Origins and Controversies." The Associated Press, 3 June 2024, https://apnews.com/article/fauci-covid-pandemic-origin-congress-a66625482f25824476ee315484790230.
Snopes Staff. "The Coronavirus Collection: Snopes Fact Checks About COVID-19." Snopes, 28 Feb. 2020, https://www.snopes.com//collections/new-coronavirus-collection/.
TinEye Reverse Image Search. https://www.tineye.com/.
"WATCH: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Tells Dr. Fauci, 'You're Not Doctor' during COVID Hearing." YouTube, PBS NewsHour, 3 June 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIwFeG1TAxY.
Weill Cornell Medicine Office of External Affairs. "Dr. Anthony Fauci M.D. '66 Returns to Weill Cornell Medicine for Debut Screening of 'American Masters' Documentary." WCM Newsroom, 15 Mar. 2023, https://news.weill.cornell.edu/news/2023/03/dr-anthony-fauci-md-%E2%80%9966-returns-to-weill-cornell-medicine-for-debut-screening-of-.
Weise, Elizabeth. "Anthony Fauci Faces Questions during Contentious COVID-19 Hearing in the House." USA TODAY, 3 June 2024, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/06/03/anthony-fauci-house-hearing-covid-response/73955411007/.
