U.S. Border Patrol Chief Debunks Explosive Claim Made by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene During Hearing

On Wednesday, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz debunked a claim made by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) that agents had found an “explosive” near the southern border in January. Greene had made the claim during a Homeland Security Committee hearing that House Republicans had performatively planned to take place near the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas.

Afterward, Greene repeated her claim via a tweet, along with a picture of the alleged device, accusing “the Cartel” of “planting bombs” and “murdering Americans everyday through drugs and crime.” Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugin shared the tweet, adding that he had spoken to a “high-level CBP source” that said the object was a fake.

All of the Democrats on the panel opted to boycott the hearing, arguing that Republicans were using the field hearing to “score political points.” Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) told the Washington Examiner this week, “Unfortunately, it has become clear that Republicans planned to politicize this event from the start, breaking with the committee’s proud history of bipartisanship.”

Chief Ortiz set the record straight on Wednesday, confirming that the object was not an explosive. He stated that the object was “a piece of a plastic water bottle” and that the Border Patrol “did not find any explosive devices.”

The incident highlights the ongoing political tensions between Republicans and Democrats in Congress. While Republicans are eager to use the field hearing to score political points, Democrats are concerned that the hearing will be used to spread misinformation.