Tlaib accuses House Republicans of trying to ‘ignite vile attacks’ against her over Holocaust comments

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) on Sunday said that Republicans are trying to “ignite vile attacks” against her over a podcast interview where she made comments about the Holocaust and voiced her support for a one-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

{mosads}”Policing my words, twisting & turning them to ignite vile attacks on me will not work,” Tlaib tweeted.

“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.”

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.

— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) May 12, 2019

The comments being highlighted by conservatives came from an interview that was published Saturday on Yahoo News’s “Skullduggery” podcast.

When asked about her position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Michigan lawmaker first noted that that the United States commemorated Holocaust Remembrance Day two weeks ago.

Tlaib, who last November became one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, then talked about her Palestinian ancestors and the creation of the state of Israel, saying she was “humbled by the fact that it was my ancestors that had to suffer” to create a safe haven for the Jewish people.

“There’s, you know, there’s a kind of a calming feeling, I always 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, had been wiped out,” Tlaib said. “I mean, 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.”

“I love the fact that it was my ancestors that provided that [safe haven], in many ways,” the freshman lawmaker continued. “But they did it in a way that took their human dignity away, right? And it was forced on them. And so, when I think about one-state, I think about the fact that, why couldn’t we do it in a better way?”

The comments were quickly picked up by Israeli newspaper Haaretz, which published an article titled “Tlaib Says She Is Humbled Her Ancestors Provided ‘Safe Haven’ for Jews After Holocaust.”

A pair of House Republicans on Sunday criticized her over the use of the phrase “calming feeling,” implying Tlaib was describing her feelings about the Holocaust itself when using those words.

“I call on Speaker Pelosi and Leader Hoyer to finally take action against Representative Tlaib and other members of the Democratic caucus who are spreading vile anti-Semitism,” Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said in statement obtained by The Washington Post.

“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.”

Cheney responded to Tlaib’s response on Monday, saying “her ‘history’ of what happened after is a fantasy based on lies spread to delegitimize the state of Israel.”

Here’s @RepRashida direct quote, “There’s a calming feeling I always tell folks when I think of the Holocaust.” And her “history” of what happened after is a fantasy based on lies spread to delegitimize the state of Israel. https://t.co/5akpUSApIE

— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) May 13, 2019

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) echoed Cheney’s comments, saying 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.”

President Trump on Monday blasted Tlaib’s comment as a “horrible and highly insensitive statement.”

“Democrat Rep. Tlaib is being slammed for her horrible and highly insensitive statement on the Holocaust,” Trump tweeted. “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?”

This is not the first time that Tlaib has faced fire from her GOP colleagues.

She has faced criticism in the past for other comments she made, including saying “we’re going to impeach the motherf—er,” in reference to Trump on her first day as a member of Congress in January.

Several Republicans jumped on those comments, calling her use of profanity “disgusting.”

Tlaib also recently traded barbs with Sen. Marcio Rubio (R-Fla.) over a Senate bill proposed to protect Israel from boycotts. 

–Updated at 10:25 a.m.