House Republicans shouldn’t back out of censuring Tlaib
Zachary Faria
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House Republicans are getting cold feet about censuring Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI). But if promoting antisemitism and the lies of a terrorist organization aren’t worth censuring, then what is?
Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) is reportedly “likely” to vote against the censure, as both he and Rep. John Duarte (R-CA) argue that Tlaib has a right to free speech. Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) reportedly thinks the censure, which was written by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), is too political and wants leadership to reconsider bringing it to the floor.
It is worth reiterating what Tlaib did that brought this censure threat down on herself. Tlaib took the word of Hamas terrorists that Israel bombed a hospital and killed 500 civilians. In reality, the rocket was fired by Palestinian terrorists, landed in the parking lot next to the hospital, and killed nowhere near 500 people. It did not stop there, though: Tlaib continued to insist the attack was launched by Israel after it had been conclusively debunked.
Even now, Tlaib refuses to take Israeli officials (and American intelligence officials) at their word and has called for an investigation by the antisemitic United Nations. This despite the fact that she continues to take the antisemitic Hamas terrorists who slaughtered 1,400 civilians at their word when they blame Israel for the attack and fabricate causalities. Tlaib is an antisemite who is peddling terrorist lies in defiance of basic reality. What about that is not worth a censure?
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This becomes a particular problem when you look at how House Republicans voted on a censure of Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) earlier this year. Walberg, Duarte, and Kim were among the 213 Republicans who voted to censure Schiff “for misleading the American public and for conduct unbecoming of an elected Member of the House of Representatives.” Tlaib is guilty of the same, misleading the public and whipping up antisemitism over the faux hospital attack and conduct unbecoming in the form of adopting terrorist talking points and peddling antisemitism.
If the problem is that the censure was written by Greene, have a more competent and less embarrassing member write another one. But this isn’t a question of free speech or of politicization, especially not after House Republicans correctly censured Schiff. Tlaib’s decision to peddle antisemitic, pro-terrorist lies is unbecoming of a member of Congress. If Republicans can’t bring themselves to even censure her, what message does that send to the rest of the country?