On Monday, the House held a vote on a measure that would provide for steep sanctions against individuals involved in what’s been termed harvesting — and then trafficking — human organs.
Sounds like a pretty straightforward proposal, right? There are some heinous, criminal acts taking place elsewhere in the world, and the U.S. has the power to impose specific penalties in response to what has been transpiring. A full 413 members of the U.S. House voted for the measure — and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), along with fellow far-right Republican Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Congressman, voted against it. Greene has often opposed presidential power, particularly as expressed by the White House’s current occupant, so her vote could relate to that consistent approach, which she’s shown in policy areas from aid for Ukraine in that country’s defense against Russia to the president’s handling of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve held by the United States.
The Washington Times, which is a conservative publication, had comments from Massie, who cited claimed concerns with due process, describing what the bill established as “unilateral broad authority to sanction individuals and politicians without any adjudication or due process.” It is not an accurate reflection of the bill to describe it as without any allowance for due process. “This bill imposes sanctions on persons (individuals and entities) involved in forced organ trafficking and authorizes the Department of State to revoke the passports of individuals convicted of certain crimes related to organ trafficking,” a summary of the measure authored by the Congressional Research Service says, making specific reference to criminal convictions. There were no apparent comments immediately available from Greene, who’s also been occupying herself recently with a visit to a D.C. jail that’s housed Capitol rioters.
She has raised complaints alleging unfair treatment of the defendants whose cases originate with the riot, although these ostensible concerns consistently haven’t been borne out by the actually available facts. Among refutations are the recent conclusions of federal Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump pick for the courts who found defendant Christopher Quaglin to actually be benefiting from special treatment in the discovery process ahead of trial. (McFadden was dealing with a request from Quaglin for release from pretrial detention.) McFadden also noted that some of the specific issues Quaglin cited, like repeated transfers between facilities, were attributable to his behavior. At the D.C. jail visit, a Democrat on the House Oversight Committee who participated said Republicans treated the detainees like “celebrities” and that defendants began saying “Let’s go Brandon!” — the anti-Biden phrase — as members left.
Two Republicans vote against Forced Organ Harvesting Sanctions: Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie pic.twitter.com/UlAe9rBbkd
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 27, 2023
