Nov. 6 (UPI) — Two Republican House members on Monday each introduced censure measures against Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan for making pro-Palestinian statements.
Their moves on Monday came after similar efforts failed last week.
Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rich McCormick, both from Georgia, introduced their censure measures as privileged resolutions, meaning the House leadership must decide within two legislative days whether to shelve the motions or submit them to a floor vote.
Some 23 Republicans voted with Democrats last week to block Greene’s first attempt at censuring Tlaib for harsh statements against Israel in the wake of last month’s deadly Hamas attacks.
On Monday, she introduced a revised version of the initial motion, but, highlighting a continuing split within the Republican conference, McCormick issued a competing version.
Greene’s initial censure resolution centered on Tlaib’s comments in the context a protest held last week in the rotunda of the Cannon House office building by mainly Jewish peace activists demanding a cease-fire in Israel’s military response to the Hamas attack of Oct. 7, during which more than 10,000 Palestinian civilians have died to date.
More than 1,400 Israelis were killed and hundreds more were taken hostage in surprise Hamas assault last month.
Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American member of Congress, posted video of the protesters chanting, “not in our name,” and wrote, “Thank you to our Jewish allies from across the country who joined in solidarity to call for a #CeasefireNOW.”
This prompted Greene to accuse Tlaib of supporting “insurrectionists” in the initial measure — wording that some lawmakers questioned in its comparison to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol following former President Donald Trump’s election loss.
Tlaib again inspired bipartisan criticism over the weekend when she posted another video on X, this one blasting President Joe Biden for supporting “the genocide of the Palestinian people.” It also included footage of demonstrators chanting, “from the river to the sea,” which the Anti-Defamation League points to as antisemitic.
In her second censure motion, Greene has dropped the word “insurrectionists” but still accuses Tlaib of “hating America” and demands that she present herself in the well of the House for the “pronouncement of censure.”
McCormick’s measure, meanwhile, accuses Tlaib of “promoting false narratives regarding the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and for calling for the destruction of the state of Israel” but does not require her to present herself in the well of the House, The Hill reported.
“It’s imperative that we address these concerns promptly and judiciously, which is why we believe that the best course of action is to move forward with censuring Representative Tlaib in a way that holds her accountable while ensuring the First Amendment is protected,” McCormick said in a statement. “This is what I have done and will continue to do.”
Tlaib, meanwhile, denounced both efforts on Monday.
“It’s a shame my colleagues are more focused on silencing me than they are on saving lives, as the death toll in Gaza surpasses 10,000,” she said a statement.
“Many of them have shown me that Palestinian lives simply do not matter to them, but I still do not police their rhetoric or actions. Rather than acknowledge the voice and perspective of the only Palestinian American in Congress, my colleagues have resorted to distorting my positions in resolutions filled with obvious lies,” she added.
