[Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons]

Controversial Members Of Congress Get Bipartisan Backing

Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has been on quite a ride over the past month. Since the Hamas terrorist attack against Israel, the representative from Detroit has stuck to her guns on making the false claim that Israel, rather than allies of Hamas, bombed a hospital, been called out for her fundraising connections to the terrorist group, and attacked Joe Biden for his, now previous, stance that Israel has the right to defend itself. 

The New York Post writes that “Tlaib, the Detroit-born daughter of Palestinian immigrants, is used to being a lightning rod for controversy given her support of Palestinians and criticism of Israel — but now she’s at the epicenter of the white-hot political fight over the Israel-Hamas war this week.

Tlaib is known for her explosive rhetoric; she has used the phrase “from the river to the sea” despite warnings the words are antisemitic and code for those who want the eradication of Israel.

One Jewish activist told The Post she has said all “the most horrible things about Israel” that there are and Lee Zeldin, the Republican New York gubernatorial candidate who served with her in the House, called her ‘evil.’

A conservative activist accosted Tlaib near her congressional offices Oct. 27, asking if she would denounce Hamas. Tlaib’s response was that he was ‘dehumanizing Palestinians.’”

Now, facing furor from her actions. The most outspoken member of the “The Squad” has gotten backup from an unlikely source. Moderate Republicans. 

More than 20 Republicans on Wednesday voted to kill a resolution to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) for her criticism of Israel after Hamas launched a deadly attack against the country last month.

The nearly two dozen Republican votes were somewhat unexpected as Tlaib has come under harsh criticism from the House GOP over her statements about Israel. Tlaib is the only Palestinian American member of Congress.

Conservative Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) last week moved to force a vote on the censure resolution, accusing Tlaib of “antisemitic activity” after Tlaib voiced concern over U.S supplying arms to Israel and called for “lifting the blockade, ending the occupation, and dismantling the apartheid system that creates the suffocating, dehumanizing conditions that can lead to resistance.”

The resolution also accused Tlaib of “leading an insurrection” after the Michigan Democrat participated in an anti-war protest last month at the Capitol that called for a cease-fire. The protest was organized by two Jewish groups, writes The Hill.

In a 222-186 vote, a procedural motion was passed by all House Democrats and 23 Republicans which prevented the disciplinary resolution from advancing to the floor. The substance of the censure was pointed out by the 23 Republicans as the reason for their vote. They argued the proposal contained unconfirmed claims and outlandish language.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, noted The National Review, “denounced fellow Republicans as ‘feckless’ for not supporting the resolution. ‘This is why Republicans NEVER do anything to stop the communists Democrats or ever hold anyone accountable!!’ the firebrand representative wrote on X following the vote.

Greene posted a list of Republican representatives who ‘voted WITH Democrats to table my censure resolution against Tlaib,’ including Chip Roy of Texas, Victoria Spartz of Indiana, and Ken Buck of Colorado. ‘These same ‘conservatives’ have never lifted a finger to help Jan6 defendants,” Green added. “They could care less that they are rotting in jail.’

Greene previously had blamed Tlaib for a protest last month that saw hundreds of Pro-Palestine demonstrators arrested after they took over the Cannon House Office building. The Georgia congresswoman repeatedly referred to the protest as an “insurrection” in the resolution.

One of the targets of Greene’s ire, Chip Roy of Texas, fired back at the criticism, telling Fox News, “Rep. Rashida Tlaib has repeatedly made outrageous remarks toward Israel and the Jewish people. Her conduct is unbecoming of a member of Congress and certainly worthy of condemnation – if not censure.” 

“However, tonight’s feckless resolution to censure Tlaib was deeply flawed and made legally and factually unverified claims, including the claim of leading an ‘insurrection,’” he continued. “I voted to table the resolution. In January 2021, the legal term insurrection was stretched and abused by many following the events at the Capitol. We should not continue to perpetuate claims of ‘insurrection’ at the Capitol and we should not abuse the term now.” 

Showing the typical grace most of us have come to expect from her, Greene responded to Roy’s comments by calling him “Colonel Sanders.”

During the same night that it refused to censure Tlaib, Congress also decided not to make George Santos the sixth ever person to be expelled from the House of Representatives. 

“Shortly after the Tlaib vote came the Santos one, according to The Washington Post. “Here, with a higher bar for passage (a two-thirds majority) and higher stakes should passage occur, the opposition was broader. Thirty-one Democrats declined to vote to oust Santos, with another 15 voting ‘present.’ A number of Republicans, meanwhile, voted to throw him out — 24 in total.”

Like Greene, Santos took to Twitter after the vote. 

This article originally appeared on New Conservative Post. Used with Permission.

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