Firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-Ga.) X account briefly urged her followers to send her son beer money for his 22nd birthday.
“It’s my baby boy’s birthday!! He’s 22!! I love him so much! Buy him a beer!” Greene’s personal X account said in a now-deleted post that linked her son’s Venmo account Saturday.
That post was taken down minutes after it was sent out, but multiple screenshots taken by reporters captured the post.
It is not entirely clear if the congresswoman actually made the post or whether someone used her account to direct payments to her son without her knowledge.
After the post was taken down, Greene, 50, did not replace it with any message wishing him a happy birthday.
The Georgia Republican’s net worth is estimated to clock in around $22 million, according to data from Quiver Quantitative, which uses its stock data to estimate the wealth of politicians.
Her son Derek’s Venmo was set to private, so it’s unclear how much money he may have made off the bizarre post. Records indicate that Derek’s birthday is in April.
Critics quickly drew attention to Greene’s personal wealth in response to her account’s plea to donate to her son.
“Marjorie Taylor Greene, a sitting member of Congress who is worth many millions of dollars, posted a birthday message for her son—along with a link to his Venmo account, encouraging her supporters to send him money,” journalist Yashar Ali wrote on X.
“This comes at a time of significant economic uncertainty in the United States.”
That post could also prompt scrutiny from watchdogs. Technically, Greene’s post was made on her personal account but the House ethics rules have restrictions against members soliciting gifts.
“A Member, officer, or employee may not ask for a gift for themselves or someone else, even if they could otherwise accept it under a Gift Rule exception,” the House Ethics Committee explains on its website.
Similar efforts by reps to leverage their fame into money for themselves or family members have faced scrutiny in the past.
Last year, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Col.) briefly set up a Cameo page to allow fans to purchase video messages from her. She quickly took down that page due to ethics concerns.
