Canceled in Kissimmee, Marjorie Taylor Greene still on for appearance in Ormond Beach

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is scheduled to speak and give away books at a 3 p.m. rally Sunday at the Iron Horse Saloon in Ormond Beach, one day after she was expected to appear at an Orlando-area resort commemorating the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riots.

The event was canceled, but the Ormond Beach appearance is still on the schedule. Bikers Against Trafficking is the beneficiary of the event, the last stop of a poker run that will have motorcycles zig-zagging across Volusia County.

Greene, a Georgia Republican and right-wing supporter of Donald Trump, has been criticized for her long history of making controversial statements and advancing conspiracy theories.

Earl Mallory, a Bikers Against Trafficking director from DeLand, said his group didn't organize the event, that the Florida Republican Assembly − a political organization that has worked with the bikers − arranged for the appearance of Greene.

"What they stand for is not my concern," Mallory said, adding that he would be just as happy to work with Democrats if they want to help support the fight against trafficking.

Bikers Against Trafficking is a nonprofit organization that has no political leaning, he said. The local chapter works with a counseling center in Lake Mary to assist people who have been trafficked, and provided Christmas for child victims under state guardianship.

Mallory is aware that Greene is a polarizing figure and he said the organizers are anticipating the possibility of protesters.

Sally Stevens, one of the owners of the Iron Horse, said Friday she had not heard any complaints about hosting Greene and that a political controversy is "the last thing I want."

The bikers are "using our facility for an ending point to gather, and that's all I've heard so far," she said. "We don't fall one way or another on anything political. We stay totally out of that."

Westgate Resorts canceled Greene's appearance in Kissimmee after a Florida state representative tweeted about it, generating media coverage.

The Republican Party of Osceola County was sponsoring the commemoration of the Jan. 6 event. Greene once suggested the attempt to seize control of the Capitol would have succeeded if she were in charge and "it would have been armed." She later called the comment a sarcastic joke.

Greene has also suggested the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting that killed 58 people at a concert had been staged, that a deadly 2018 California wildfire was sparked by "lasers or blue bars of light" controlled by allies of a Democratic governor and a Jewish banking family, and that the Sept. 11, 2001, attack was not caused by airplanes commandeered by Saudi hijackers.

Florida Rep. Anna Eskamani, a Democrat, spotlighted ads for the Osceola County GOP event in a tweet, saying she "was really hoping this was a joke," and Westgate Resorts management saw no advantage to hosting it.

“Please be advised that Westgate was not made aware of the purpose of this event when we were approached to host a book signing,” the resort said in an emailed statement. “This event has been canceled and is no longer taking place at our resort.”

The Bikers Against Trafficking rally ad makes no mention of Jan. 6. It says the first 400 attendees will receive signed copies of Greene's book, "MTG." It lists various costs, including $50 to attend the Greene rally and $80 for a VIP meet and greet.

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This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Ormond Beach biker bar hosting rally featuring Marjorie Taylor Greene