Trump blasts Rep. Tlaib for comments on Israel, Holocaust
President Donald Trump on Monday joined a chorus of Republicans bashing Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) for comments she made about Israel and the Holocaust during a recent podcast interview, which GOP leaders labeled as “horrible" but which the lawmaker said were being twisted for political purposes.
In an interview on Yahoo News' “Skullduggery” podcast posted over the weekend, Tlaib discussed her support for a one-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The lawmaker said she gets “a calming feeling” when she thinks about the fact that her ancestors lost their land so that Jews could have a safe haven after the Holocaust.
“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.”
Republicans characterized Tlaib’s use of the phrase “calming feeling” as referring to the Holocaust itself, even though she said that was not what she meant. House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who is also in GOP leadership, called her remarks “disgusting” and “sickening.”
“Democrat Rep. Tlaib is being slammed for her horrible and highly insensitive statement on the Holocaust,” Trump said in a tweet. “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?”
Tlaib pushed back against criticism from Republicans Sunday, accusing them of attempting “to take my words out of context to push your racist and hateful agenda.”
“Policing my words, twisting & turning them to ignite vile attacks on me will not work,” Tlaib said in a tweet. “All of you who are trying to silence me will fail miserably.”
A statement from Tlaib’s office Sunday also accused Republicans of “spreading outright lies to incite hate.”
“The Congresswoman did not in any way praise the Holocaust, nor did she say the Holocaust itself brought a calming feeling to her,” the statement said. “In fact, she repeatedly called the Holocaust a tragedy and a horrific persecution of Jewish people.”
Trump railed against Tlaib earlier this year when, hours after beginning her congressional term, she said House Democrats were going to “go in and we’re going to impeach the motherf---er.”
GOP lawmakers have also criticized Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), another progressive freshman lawmaker, for describing Sept. 11, 2001, as a day when “some people did something” when discussing how she thought the terrorist attacks contributed to a rise in Islamophobia globally. A number of Democrats jumped to Omar’s defense last month, arguing Republicans were taking the Minnesota lawmaker’s words out of context.
Congressional Republicans have ramped up their public focus on Israel to try to exacerbate divisions in the Democratic Party over the issue. Progressives critical of Israel's treatment of Palestinians are increasingly at odds with other, more pro-Israel Democrats.
GOP Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel tweeted Monday to condemn Tlaib for calling for a boycott of Israel.
Article originally published on POLITICO Magazine