Rep. Angie Craig says she voted for censure because Rep. Rashida Tlaib "continues to promote disinformation"
MINNEAPOLIS — One of the 22 Democratic Party lawmakers who voted in favor of censuring Rep. Rashida Tlaib over her comments on the Israel-Hamas war was Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig, and she's now explaining why.
Tlaib, the only Palestinian member of the U.S. House of Representatives, had earlier spoken out about what she called "unconditional funding to an apartheid government."
In defense of her vote, Craig said that members of Congress need to choose their words carefully, and that she felt a need to express her disagreement with Tlaib's statements.
"The censure is not a perfect tool, but I felt that I had to express my strong disagreement with my colleague after she defended her use of this phrase and continues to promote disinformation," Craig said.
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Rep. Dean Phillips, who is in the middle of a primary challenge against incumbent President Joe Biden, said he would've voted against censuring Tlaib had he been present.
"While I vehemently oppose the language and contention that inspired the censure, I believe in protecting speech — even when it's painful to hear," he said. "Rashida is my friend and I know her heart. We must first find humanity in one another before we can bring sanity to the world."
Meanwhile, Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar gave a passionate speech in support of Tlaib, and accusing those voting in favor of her censure of turning a blind eye to the deaths of Palestinians in Gaza.
"What is true is that every single one of them has not acknowledged that Palestinians are dying in the thousands but they say it is us that lack humanity. Rashida will stand strong," she said.
Earlier this year, Omar was ousted from the chamber's Foreign Affairs Committee. The Republican-led House cited "anti-Israel comments" for her removal.
Omar, one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, notably generated controversy after entering Congress in 2019 with a pair of tweets that suggested lawmakers who supported Israel were motivated by money. In the first, she criticized the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. "It's all about the Benjamins baby," she wrote, invoking slang about $100 bills. Asked on Twitter who she thought was paying members of Congress to support Israel, Omar responded, "AIPAC!"
Michigan lawmakers this week signed a resolution encouraging Tlaib to resign from office over her response to the Israel-Hamas war.
