House Republicans are ready to try again on censuring Rep. Rashida Tlaib.
Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) both formally introduced two new resolutions on Monday to reprimand the Michigan Democrat for her outspoken criticism of the Israeli government. The privileged motions are coming up through a fast-tracked legislative process that allows them to bypass House committees and requires action on the House floor within two days.
In a statement released Monday evening, Tlaib said she’d “repeatedly denounced” the killing of civilians by Hamas and the Israeli government and mourned Israeli and Palestinian lives lost.
“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 said.
The House voted to sink Greene's original censure effort against Tlaib last week. This time, in an effort to allay some critics, Greene is changing some language in her resolution to refer to a pro-Palestine protest in the Capitol complex as an “illegal occupation” instead of an “insurrection" (Democrats had decried the move for creating a false equivalency to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack). Tlaib, in a statement at the time, had denounced Greene’s measure as “unhinged.”
McCormick's measure, which he announced in a speech on the House floor, formally reprimands Tlaib for “promoting false narratives” about Hamas’ attack on Israel and for “calling for the destruction of the state of Israel.”
Despite outrage among many Republicans and some Democrats about Tlaib's remarks, nearly two dozen Republicans joined all Democrats in voting to table Greene's measure last week. In addition to concerns about using the term "insurrection," some defended Tlaib's right to free speech in voting to block the censure attempt. House Democratic leadership had whipped against the censure.
