Democrats defend Rashida Tlaib over misrepresented Holocaust comments
Democrats in Congress have rallied behind Rashida Tlaib after Republicans, citing her recent comments about Israel and the Holocaust, accused the congresswoman of being an antisemite.
Top Democrats forcefully defended Tlaib, marking another acrimonious showdown over perceptions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the first two Muslim women elected to Congress.
Republicans seized on Tlaib’s remarks about the role played by her Palestinian ancestors in creating a safe haven for Jews after the Holocaust gave her a “calming feeling”.
“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 in an interview with a Yahoo News 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,” she added.
“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.”
While some questioned the historical accuracy of Tlaib’s comments, Republicans falsely claimed Tlaib had said it was the persecution and slaughter of 6 million Jews that somehow gave her calm.
“Rashida Tlaib says thinking of the Holocaust provides her a ‘calming feeling’,” Wyoming representative Liz Cheney, the third-ranking Republican in Congress, tweeted.
In a followup statement, Cheney called on House Democratic leaders to take action against Tlaib, writing: “All of us, regardless of party, must stand as Americans against the evil of antisemitism.”
Donald Trump also weighed in, tweeting: “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.”
The uproar came just months after Ilhan Omar, the only other Muslim woman serving in Congress, was similarly accused of making antisemitic comments while criticizing the pro-Israeli lobby in Washington.
But whereas then many Democrats joined Republicans in condemning Omar’s remarks – prompting her to apologize – this time the response was markedly different.
“Republicans’ desperate attempts to
smear [her] and misrepresent her comments are outrageous,” House speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted. “President Trump and House GOP should apologize to Rep Tlaib and the American people for their gross misrepresentations.”
Steny Hoyer, the No 2 Democrat in Congress and a strident supporter of Israel, also rushed to Tlaib’s defense.
“If you read [her] comments, it is clear that President Trump and congressional Republicans are taking them out of context,” Hoyer tweeted. “They must stop, and they owe her an apology.”
Democratic aides said Tlaib’s remarks were different in nature than Omar’s, which many critics agreed perpetuated Jewish stereotypes. In Tlaib’s case, they said, it was clear that Republicans were deliberately misrepresenting her words.
Democrats have nonetheless been criticized for falling short in their support of Omar amid repeated attacks from Republicans, which also included an attempt by Trump and his party to mischaracterize comments she made about the targeting of the Muslim community in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on 9/11.
Trump shared a video of Omar’s remarks spliced with footage from 9/11, which the hijab-wearing congresswoman in turn said led to a spike in death threats against her.
Omar and Tlaib were celebrated in November for their historic victories in the 2018 midterm elections, becoming not only the first Muslim women but also the first Somali American and first Palestinian American elected to Congress.
Since their arrival, Republicans have relentlessly scrutinized both women’s views on Israel and repeatedly labeled them as antisemites.
“I am hopeful that the Democratic leadership is now understanding that these attacks are out of a very deliberate Republican and far-right strategy to demonize and isolate the American Muslim community and to divide us as Americans,” said Farhana Khera, the executive director of the civil rights group Muslim Advocates.
“It’s my sense that the Democrats are better understanding the dynamic that’s at play, and they’re seeing these tactics for what they are – which is totally taking words out of context and twisting and distorting them.”
Tlaib has stood by her comments and told late-night talkshow host Seth Meyers she had been advised by a friend to speak like a fourth grader so “the racist idiots” would better understand her.
“I will continue to speak truth to power,” Tlaib said. “I want all of us to feel safe, all of us deserve human dignity, no matter our backgrounds, no matter ethnicity, no matter even our political opinions.
“We all need and deserve that kind of equality and justice.”