‘Embarrassed For Those Democrats!’ Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Slams Members of Her Own Party Who Voted to Censure Tlaib
CNN’s Chief Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju spoke with members of Congress on Tuesday after the House voted to officially censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) for her controversial rhetoric on the Israel-Hamas War.
“With phrases like ‘from the river to the sea,’ you’re not simply advocating for the creation of a Palestinian state. You’re advocating for the destruction of Israel as a Jewish state,” Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) told Raju.
“And that crosses a line that no member of Congress should have crossed. It’s hate speech, and Congress has a right to condemn it,” Torres added in his defense of voting to censure Tlaib.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), who is the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, slammed her Democratic colleagues who voted to censure, including Torres – who is a member of the Progressive Caucus.
“It is outrageous! I am embarrassed for those Democrats who voted to censure their own colleague who voted against free speech. It is an embarrassment,” Jayapal fumed.
Earlier on CNN, Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) tore into Tlaib’s use of the controversial slogan, saying, “Just like Mein Kampf is not a coloring book. And the final solution means exactly what Hitler meant it to mean. ‘From the river to the sea’ is calling for the destruction of an entire country, period. Full stop. And so, look, the congresswoman has a First Amendment right.”
“She can say whatever she wants, but at the same time, Congress has the ability to express their displeasure with a fellow colleague of ours calling for the destruction of a country. What if we had someone going around saying France should be wiped off the map? I mean, we would think that’s outrageous. But somehow from the river to the sea is debatable. It is another ridiculous double standard when it comes to Israel,” he concluded.
Tlaib defended the phrase and called it aspirational, saying, “From the river to the sea is an aspiration call for freedom, human rights and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction or hate.”
The full list of Democrats who voted to censure Tlaib included:
Reps. Steve Cohen (D-TN), Jim Costa (D-CA), Angie Craig (D-MN), Don Davis (D-NC), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Jared Golden (D-ME), Dan Goldman (D-NY), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Greg Landsman (D-OH), Susie Lee (D-NV), Kathy Manning (D-NC), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Wiley Nickel (D-NC), Chris Pappas (D-NH), Marie Glusenkamp Perez (D-OR), Pat Ryan (D-NY), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Kim Schrier (D-WA), Darren Soto (D-FL), Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and Frederica Wilson (D-FL) voted.
Watch the full clip above.
