Marjorie Taylor Greene Blames Biden for Jan. 6 Rioter's Death

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene blamed President Joe Biden on Friday for the recent death of a Capitol riot defendant, whom she claimed had committed suicide.

Reports began to circulate on Friday that Nejourde "Jord" Meacham, a 22-year-old Utah resident and January 6, 2021, Capitol riot defendant, had died roughly two weeks after he had been arraigned on charges related to his participation in the riot. This news was confirmed by a local obituary and by a court filing from the Department of Justice (DOJ), which further cited a police report from the Duchesne County Sheriff's Office that outlined Meacham's passing.

No details have yet been disclosed regarding Meacham's cause of death. Despite that lack of information, the notion that his death was a suicide has begun to spread in right-wing political circles online. On Friday, Greene, a Georgia Republican and staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump, echoed those unfounded claims and blamed Meacham's death on Biden and U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew Graves, calling it the fourth suicide among Capitol riot defendants.

"US Attorney Matthew Graves is now responsible for a 4th suicide by another J6'er because of extreme persecution of J6 defendants," the congresswoman wrote on X, the platform previously known as Twitter. "Jord Meachum [sic] was 19 yrs old when he nonviolently walked in the Capitol. 19. Biden's communists [sic] regime has destroyed justice and stolen hope."

Newsweek reached out to the White House press office and the Duchesne County Sheriff's Office via email for comment.

While Meacham's cause of death remains unknown, Greene's claim of three other deaths by suicide is accurate. According to Law & Crime in an article published last July, 47-year-old Mark Aungst of Pennsylvania, 53-year-old Christopher Georgia of Georgia, and 37-year-old Matthew Perna of Pennsylvania all died by suicide after taking part in the Capitol riot. Perna and Aungst had both been brought to court and pleaded guilty by the time of their deaths, while Georgia took his own life only a few days after the riot.

At least three other participants have also died, but from other causes, Law & Crime noted.

According to NBC News justice reporter Ryan J. Reilly, Meacham was a non-violent participant and had been facing relatively light charges compared to other defendants.

"Nejourde Meacham was arrested less than a month ago, and faced the four basic misdemeanors that often result in plea deals and probationary sentences," Reilly wrote on X on Friday.

Meacham's charges included the following, according to a DOJ filing: "Knowingly Entering or Remaining in any Restricted Building or Grounds Without Lawful Authority, Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds, Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building, and Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building."

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