“Squad” Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) avoided a House vote of no confidence over her history of anti-Israel comments and her participation in a pro-Palestinian protest last month that spilled into a Capitol office building.
The House voted 222-186 Wednesday night to block a resolution to censure Tlaib after Firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) introduced the measure last week.
All Democrats voted to introduce the resolution, along with Michigan Republican Reps. John Moolenaar, Tim Walberg and Bill Huizenga and 20 other Republican lawmakers.
Thirteen other Democrats and eleven Republicans were absent.
After Greene introduced the resolution to censure Tlaib, Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) responded by forcing a vote to censure Greene in a tit-for-tat exchange on the House floor last week.
But shortly after the vote to censure Tlaib was overturned, Democrats rejected their plans to vote in favor of the resolution to censure Greene.
“Given the fact that this conference voted unanimously for an election denier, there was a question as to whether my resolution to censure Rep. Greene could pass with the votes it needed from ‘moderate’ Republicans,” Balint said in a statement announcing who withdrew from supporting his resolution.
“Tonight, when 23 Republicans said ‘no’ to Rep. Greene’s bigotry, I looked at this situation a little differently. I want to thank you for doing the right thing. And I’m going to delay the vote for now,” Balint said.
Greene’s resolution blames Tlaib for “anti-Semitic activity, sympathizing with terrorist organizations, and leading an insurrection at the United States Capitol Complex.”
“Squad” Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) avoided a House no-confidence vote over her history of anti-Semitic comments. Getty Images Rep. Firebrand Marjorie Taylor Green (R-Ga.) had introduced the resolution to censure Tlaib.AP
The Michigan Democrat made controversial comments about the Holocaust, amplified a Palestine Liberation Organization slogan calling for the destruction of Israel and said the Jewish state has an “apartheid government.”
Tlaib, 47, also denounced Israel’s “occupation” of the Palestinian territories the day after Hamas terrorists invaded from the Gaza Strip on October 7 to rape, mutilate, burn and kill civilians.
The jihadists murdered more than 1,400 people, at least 33 of whom were American citizens. More than 200 civilians were also taken hostage.
Tlaib denounced Israel’s “occupation” of the Palestinian territories the day after Hamas terrorists invaded the Gaza Strip on October 7 to rape, mutilate, burn and kill civilians.
“[I]Instead of denouncing the horrors of Hamas massacring Israelis and demanding the release of all hostages held by Hamas, Rashida Tlaib declared on October 8, 2023: “The path to the future must include lifting the blockade, ending the occupation and the dismantling of apartheid. system that creates suffocating and dehumanizing conditions that can lead to resistance,” the resolution states.
He also draws attention to his participation in a pro-Palestinian protest organized by the left-wing group Jewish Voice for Peace, which invaded the Cannon House office building on October 18 to demand a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
The demonstration “followed Hezbollah’s orders to carry out an ‘unprecedented day of rage’ following an explosion at a Gaza hospital,” according to Greene’s resolution.
He also draws attention to his participation in a pro-Palestinian protest organized by the left-wing group Jewish Voice for Peace, which invaded the Cannon House office building on October 18.
Tlaib has refused to blame Palestinian Islamic Jihad for a rocket that hit al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, even though US intelligence and Israel Defense confirmed that the Hamas-linked terrorist group was the person responsible for the explosion.
The resolution, which also referred Tlaib’s actions to the House Foreign Affairs and Ethics Committees, was co-sponsored by Reps. John Carter and Randy Weber of Texas, Mike Collins of Georgia, Mary Miller of Illinois, Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, Burgess Owens of Utah, Jeff Duncan of South Carolina and Mike Rogers of Alabama.
Balint’s resolution was withdrawn from consideration after the vote to censure Tlaib failed.
“Tonight we showed that standing up to bullies works. By not allowing Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s repeated offenses to go unchecked and unchecked, we defeated a resolution rife with lies and Islamophobia,” Balint said in a statement.
“I am celebrating the fact that the truth prevailed about my friend and colleague, Representative Rashida Tlaib. We cannot allow one of our own to be censored for something completely made up and racist. “I was shocked that when we were on the floor, several Republicans voted with us to introduce the hateful and false censure resolution that Rep. Greene introduced against Rep. Tlaib.”
Balint warned that he could withdraw his no-confidence vote against Greene “at any time if we see continued vile rhetoric from Rep. Greene and her colleagues.”
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