Rep. Greene Brings Special Motion to Censure Rep. Tlaib, Forcing House Decision on Anti-Israel Activism

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) speaks to reporters as House Republicans hold a caucus meeting at the Longworth House Office Building in Washington on Oct. 13, 2023. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) formally introduced a measure on Oct. 26 that will force the House of Representatives to decide whether to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) over accusations she has engaged in anti-Semitic activity and led an “insurrection” at the U.S. Capitol last week.

Ms. Greene initially announced the censure resolution on Oct. 24 but brought the measure to the House floor as a privileged resolution on Oct. 26. The privileged resolution requires the legislative body to take action on it within two days. The House may either bring the censure resolution to a vote or table the measure, depending on how a majority of lawmakers decide.

The censure resolution faults Ms. Tlaib, a Palestinian American, for a variety of comments she’s made in the past regarding the Israel–Hamas conflict, such as a 2020 social media post that reads, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” This phrase, originated by the Palestinian Liberation Organization, refers to Palestinians’ taking control over the entire territory from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, which includes all of Israel. The phrase has been adopted by the Hamas terrorist group and “calls for the elimination of Israel and the death of all Jews,” the censure resolution states.

The resolution further equates Ms. Tlaib’s participation in an Oct. 18 protest event at the U.S. Capitol to a leadership role in an insurrection. The protest in question raised calls for an immediate ceasefire in the ongoing fighting between the Israeli military and Hamas. Hundreds of protesters gathered in and around the U.S. Capitol complex on Oct. 18. Some in the group eventually entered the Cannon House Office Building, assembled in the rotunda, and began chants. Capitol Police arrested many of those who entered the Capitol after warning that they were not allowed to lead protests inside the building.

Ms. Tlaib was seen addressing members of the protest group outside the Capitol.

The Oct. 18 protest event was organized with the support of Jewish Voice for Peace, an organization that describes itself as a “progressive Jewish anti-Zionist organization” that shares “solidarity with the Palestinian freedom struggle.” Ms. Greene’s censure described Jewish Voice for Peace as an “Israel-hating, America-hating” organization.

Ms. Tlaib pushed back on the censure resolution, describing it as “unhinged” and “deeply Islamophobic.”

“I am proud to stand in solidarity with Jewish peace advocates calling for a ceasefire and an end to the violence. I will not be bullied, I will not be dehumanized, and I will not be silenced,” Ms. Tlaib said. “I will continue to call for ceasefire, for the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid, for the release of hostages and those arbitrarily detained, and for every American to be brought home. I will continue to work for a just and lasting peace that upholds the human rights and dignity of all people, and ensures that no person, no child has to suffer or live in fear of violence.”

Jewish Democratic Lawmakers Weigh In

Ms. Tlaib has seen pushback from some of her fellow Democrats over her comments about the Israel–Hamas conflict, but it remains to be seen how they will handle the prospect of her censure.

Earlier this week, Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) faulted Ms. Tlaib for continuing to raise the possibility that the Israeli military could be responsible for a recent blast at a hospital in the Gaza Strip, despite U.S. government assessments that the Israeli military was not at fault.

“I continue to be disappointed in members of Congress who are not willing to listen to U.S. intelligence and listen to the Biden administration who have said Israel had nothing to do with the issue that happened in the parking lot of the hospital,” Mr. Moskowitz said during an interview with Fox News.

When asked whether Ms. Tlaib deserves censure, Mr. Moskowitz, who is Jewish, said, “I think that censure resolution will come to the floor, and I do think it’s something that everyone should consider.”

Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), another Jewish lawmaker, was less open to talk of censuring Ms. Tlaib. When asked about the censure effort, Ms. Slotkin pointed to Ms. Greene’s own past controversies.

In 2021, the then-Democratic-controlled House passed a resolution to remove Ms. Greene from her congressional committee assignments over comments and social media posts she made before entering Congress. In one of the instances, Ms. Greene reportedly liked a Facebook post that referred to “a bullet to the head” of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). In other instances, she reportedly shared speculation that certain deadly U.S. school shootings were staged.

In 2021, Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) also raised the possibility of introducing a resolution to censure Ms. Greene after she compared mask mandates during COVID-19 lockdowns to Jews’ being forced to wear gold stars in Nazi Germany. Mr. Schneider decided not to introduce the resolution after Ms. Greene apologized for the comparison.

Ms. Slotkin told NTD News that she found it “rich for [Ms. Greene] to be looking to censure Rashida Tlaib.”

“Look, do I agree with everything Rashida says? No. But she’s not inciting violence,” she said. “And that is what the conversation was around Ms. Green. So I think it’s a little obvious to people that someone who has been removed for believing in conspiracy theories and anti-Jewish rhetoric is now the one saying that she’s the champion for Jews.”

Ms. Greene has faced renewed calls for her own censure. Earlier this year, Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) introduced a censure resolution that again accused Ms. Greene of engaging with “conspiracy theories,” “antisemitism,” and “LGBTQ hate speech [and] Islamophobia.”

Ms. Balint’s resolution also faulted Ms. Greene for displaying “graphic pornographic images during an official committee hearing that she claimed depicted a member of President Biden’s family.” Ms. Greene used the images in question while raising claims that President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, hired prostitutes and then deducted those payments on his business tax returns.

Ms. Balint reiterated her calls to censure Ms. Greene hours after her privileged motion to censure Ms. Tlaib.

“If you want to talk anti-Semitism, look no further than Rep. Taylor Greene,” said Ms. Balint, who is also Jewish.

House Could See Several Censure and Expulsion Votes

House lawmakers are currently considering reprimanding several of their colleagues, in addition to Ms. Greene’s efforts to censure Ms. Tlaib, and Ms. Balint’s efforts to censure Ms. Greene.

Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) is facing calls for his outright expulsion from the body, as he faces multiple criminal fraud allegations. Fellow Republican New York Reps. Anthony D'Esposito and Nick LaLota have each introduced resolutions to have Mr. Santos removed.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) has also introduced a resolution to expel Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) from Congress after he pulled a fire alarm as House Democrats sought to delay a vote on a bill to avoid a government shutdown.

“As you know, I have my own bill to expel Jamaal Bowman,” Ms. Malliotakis told NTD News on Oct. 26. “And so I think we'll be probably taking up quite a few of these.”

Mr. Bowman was charged this week with a misdemeanor for the alarm-pulling incident that caused a 30-minute evacuation of Congress and pleaded guilty, but he has insisted he acted by mistake and not out of a deliberate effort to disrupt Congress.

From NTD News