Congressman Who Served In Israeli Military Wears Uniform to Capitol: ‘Tlaib’s Got Her Flag, I’ve Got My Uniform’
Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) showed up to the Capitol Building wearing an Israel Defense Forces uniform on Friday in a statement of solidarity with the world’s only Jewish-majority state.
Mast is a veteran of the U.S. Army, where he served for 12 years and earned a Purple Heart after he found an improvised explosive device that took both of his legs in Afghanistan. After continuing to serve with his injuries for two years, he retired only to volunteer to serve in the IDF as an expert on the disposal of explosives.
The congressman told Jewish News Syndicate earlier this year that his time in Israel taught him that its citizens don’t seek war or violence, and are acting only in their self-defense. He has called himself “proud to be the only member of Congress who has worn both the uniform of the United States Army and the uniform of the Israel Defense Forces.”
On Friday, Mast was asked by a reporter in the Capitol if he could explain his wardrobe choice, to which he replied, “Tlaib’s got her flag, I’ve got my uniform.”
Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), who is the only Representative to serve in the US Army and Israeli Defense Forces told reporters: “Tlaib’s got her flag; I’ve got my uniform.” pic.twitter.com/31m5whjEk3
— CSPAN (@cspan) October 13, 2023
Mast was referencing Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s (D-MI) hanging of a Palestinian flag in her office. Tlaib has often been criticized for fervent anti-Israel rhetoric, and what critics, even within her own party, claim are anti-Semitic remarks since first being elected to Congress in 2018.
In her statement on the barbaric, Hamas-led attack on Israel last weekend, Tlaib appeared to assign blame for the kidnapping, rape, and murder of Israeli citizens on Israel.
“I grieve the Palestinian and Israeli lives lost yesterday, today, and every day. I am determined as ever to fight for a just future where everyone can live in peace, without fear and with true freedom, equal rights, and human dignity,” wrote Tlaib. “The path to that future must include lifting the blockade, ending the occupation, and dismantling the apartheid system that creates the suffocating, dehumanizing conditions that can lead to resistance.”
