Having made headlines in recent weeks for her outspoken criticism of American support for Israel in its conflict with Hamas, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) is once again on the verge of a censure vote that could see her booted into a conspicuously small group of lawmakers who have ever received such a sanction, as Just the News reports.
The push to officially reprimand Tlaib has been spearheaded by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), whose efforts were rebuffed in bipartisan fashion last week, but who plans to reintroduce a tweaked version of her initial resolution in the coming days.
Since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, Tlaib has courted criticism for her failure to condemn the terrorist group as well as for her opposition to the Biden administration's declared support for the Jewish state.
As a result, Greene sought Tlaib's censure for what she described as antisemitic statements as well as activity she said amounted to “leading an insurrection,” a reference to Tlaib's participation in a pro-Palestinian protest in the Capitol complex in October.
However, as the Associated Press noted, that resolution was tabled in the House before it even reached the floor for a full vote, an outcome that came about with the help of 23 Republicans who joined all Democrats in opposition to it, with many citing First Amendment concerns as the reason for their actions.
Explaining his rationale for not supporting Tlaib's censure was Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who said, “Free speech isn't just about protecting the speech that you like, it's especially about protecting the speech you don't like” and noted that use of the term “insurrection” was, in his estimation, as inaccurate when used to describe the protests of Jan. 6, 2021 as when applied to the demonstration referenced in Greene's resolution.
Since then, however, Tlaib has escalated her public rhetoric on the situation, taking to X, formerly Twitter, on Friday to post a compilation of video clips including images of Gaza in the aftermath of Israeli attacks, Biden administration remarks declaring support for Israel, and images of pro-Palestinian demonstrations here and abroad.
Taking aim at President Joe Biden directly, Tlaib wrote, “Mr. President, the American people are not with you on this one.”
The Michigan congresswoman, who represents a district with a heavy concentration of Arab Americans, suggested that the administration's policy toward Israel could have a harmful effect on the president's reelection prospects next November.
“Joe Biden supported the genocide of the Palestinian people. The American people won't forget. Biden, support a ceasefire now. Or don't count on us in 2024,” Tlaib warned.
On Saturday, Greene stated her intention to reintroduce a measure that would effectuate Tlaib's censure, making clear that she would adjust its language in hopes of answering the concerns of certain Republican colleagues.
“I'm reintroducing my censure resolution against Terrorist Tlaib. I am removing 'insurrection' and replacing it with 'illegal occupation' on Oct. 18 that broke the same federal laws as Jan 6 and led to hundreds of arrests and assault on Cap Police,” Greene said, referencing the demonstration in which Tlaib took part.
Calling out fellow party members who opposed her first crack at censure, Greene added, “Hopefully the 23 Republicans who voted no to censure Pro-terrorist Pro-Hamas Anti-Israel and anti-Semitic Rashida Tlaib will use their freedom of speech in congress to censure (condemn) Terrorist Tlaib's speech, lies, and actions that incited an illegal occupation on Oct. 18th.”
“Terrorist Tlaib should expelled but let's see if we can at least censure her,” Greene added, but whether she achieves that objective on what will be her second bite at the apple, only time will tell.
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