On Friday, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), made controversial anti-Semitic comments during a podcast that ignited many House Republican leaders to call on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to take action.
On Monday, President Trump also broke his silence on Tlaib’s remarks and accused her of ‘tremendous hatred’.
As Fox News reported, Tlaib, the first Palestinian-American woman to be elected to Congress, made the comments while discussing the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians during an appearance on the Yahoo News podcast “Skullduggery.”
“There’s always kind of a calming feeling, I tell folks, when I think of the Holocaust, and the tragedy of the Holocaust, and the fact that it was my ancestors– Palestinians– who lost their land and some lost their lives, their livelihood, their human dignity, their existence in many ways, have been wiped out, and some people’s passports,” Tlaib said Friday on the podcast.
“And, just all of it was in the name of trying to create a safe haven for Jews, post-the Holocaust, post-the tragedy and the horrific persecution of Jews across the world at that time. And, I love the fact that it was my ancestors that provided that, right, in many ways, but they did it in a way that took their human dignity away and it was forced on them,” she said.
Tlaib’s use of the phrase “calming feeling” in reference to the aftermath of the Holocaust is what has drawn backlash. (Continued Below)
President Trump responded on Twitter Monday writing, “Democrat Rep. Tlaib is being slammed for her horrible and highly insensitive statement on the Holocaust. She obviously has tremendous hatred of Israel and the Jewish people. Can you imagine what would happen if I ever said what she said, and says?”
House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA), said in a statement, “There is no justification for the twisted and disgusting comments made by Rashida Tlaib just days after the annual Day of Holocaust Remembrance. More than six million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust; there is nothing ‘calming’ about that fact.”
“Unfortunately, this is far from the first display of heinous anti-Semitic comments coming from Democrat House members this year, and it’s clear this is now the norm for their caucus,” Scalise added. “It’s long past time for Speaker Pelosi to take swift action and make it clear that these vile comments have no place in Congress.” (Continued Below)
House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney (R-WY), said Tlaib’s comments were “sickening” and called on Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, (D-MD), “to finally take action against Representative Tlaib and other members of the Democratic caucus who are spreading vile anti-Semitism.”
“All of us, regardless of party, must stand as Americans against the evil of anti-Semitism. If the Democratic leadership continues to stand by in silence, they are enabling the spread of evil. History teaches us that anti-Semitism begins with words and becomes something far worse. Speaker Pelosi and Leader Hoyer must act now,” she said.
(Related: WaPo Prints A Piece Defending Tlaib’s MF-Bomb, James Woods Calls Their Bluff)
On Sunday, Tlaib responded to the aftermath and tweeted: “Policing my words, twisting & turning them to ignite vile attacks on me will not work. All of you who are trying to silence me will fail miserably. I will never allow you to take my words out of context to push your racist and hateful agenda. The truth will always win.” (Continued Below)
President Trump’s official tweet:
Democrat Rep. Tlaib is being slammed for her horrible and highly insensitive statement on the Holocaust. She obviously has tremendous hatred of Israel and the Jewish people. Can you imagine what would happen if I ever said what she said, and says?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 13, 2019
We leave you with a few tweets from Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY), who wrote on Twitter in response to Tlaib, “This is a heart filled w darkness & how the Holocaust began in 1st place.”
.@RashidaTlaib says the Holocaust gives her “a calming feeling” calling for a 1 state solution putting Jews in the minority & out of power of their own country. This is a heart filled w darkness & how the Holocaust began in 1st place. Listen @ 28 min mark. https://t.co/7ZEYSnxV4b
— Lee Zeldin (@RepLeeZeldin) May 12, 2019
He further added, “Answering a ? re her push for a 1 state solution removing Jews from power in Israel, Tlaib said thinking about the Holocaust gives her “a calming feeling” bc of a “safe haven” Palestinians provided to Jews. It’s a sick take & rewrite of history. The proposal is horribly wrong too”.
Answering a ? re her push for a 1 state solution removing Jews from power in Israel, Tlaib said thinking about the Holocaust gives her “a calming feeling” bc of a “safe haven” Palestinians provided to Jews. It’s a sick take & rewrite of history. The proposal is horribly wrong too https://t.co/KUET2bhehr
— Lee Zeldin (@RepLeeZeldin) May 13, 2019
(Continued Below)
Zeldin also called out Speaker Pelosi for allowing Omar Suleiman to give opening prayer in House after he compared Israelis to Nazis:
Horrible judgment @SpeakerPelosi to allow Omar Suleiman to give opening prayer in House after he compared Israelis to Nazis, accused Israel of being terrorists, posted in support of Muslim Brotherhood, called for Palestinian Intifada & more.@PeteHegseth https://t.co/db7HEAXqPU
— Lee Zeldin (@RepLeeZeldin) May 12, 2019
