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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's delegation in the House of Representatives voted to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Michigan, Tuesday night over her statements on the Israel-Hamas war.
Reps. Burgess Owens, John Curtis and Blake Moore, all Republicans, voted for HR845, which rebukes the only Palestinian-American member of Congress for "promoting false narratives regarding the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and for calling for the destruction of the state of Israel."
Curtis explained his censure vote in a statement Wednesday, pointing to testimony in a Senate committee last week by FBI Director Christopher Wray on the rise of antisemitic hate crimes in the United States.
That testimony "revealed a stark reality: 60% of religiously motivated hate crimes in the U.S. are directed at Jewish individuals, who constitute just 2.4% of the American population," a statement released by Curtis said. "I am a staunch believer in the right to free speech, but it is imperative to recognize that our actions as members of Congress are scrutinized globally, not just by our constituents in the United States."
"The careless and misleading remarks made by my colleague, Rashida Tlaib, fall short of the dignity expected from the House of Representatives," he continued. "I endorse her censure and hope the congresswoman will take a stand against Hamas, other radical groups, and the worldwide assaults on Israel and the Jewish community."
Owens joined Fox News' Maria Bartiromo Wednesday morning to explain his vote.
"One thing we can say about bigotry: It's always loud, it's always passionate, it's always deeply, deeply wrong," he said. "If there's an upside, it's that we can realize that this is wrong, and we're going to start standing up and really pointing out the bigotry that we're seeing across our country."
The resolution was introduced by Rep. Richard McCormick, R-Georgia, and passed 234-188, with four members voting "present." Four Republicans voted against the measure and 22 Democrats voted for it. Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colorado, opposed the censure, saying, "It's not our job to censure somebody because we don't agree with them."
Tlaib was defiant ahead of the vote Tuesday, pointing to the rising death toll in the Gaza Strip and accusing her colleagues of trying to silence her voice.
"It's a shame my colleagues are more focused on silencing me than they are on saving lives, as the death toll in Gaza surpasses 10,000," she said in a statement. "Many of them have shown me that Palestinian lives simply do not matter to them, but I still do not police their rhetoric or actions. Rather than acknowledge the voice and perspective of the only Palestinian American in Congress, my colleagues have resorted to distorting my positions in resolutions filled with obvious lies.
"I have repeatedly denounced the horrific targeting and killing of civilians by Hamas and the Israeli governing, and have mourned the Israeli and Palestinian lives lost," she continued.
The congresswoman released a statement on Oct. 8 linking U.S. aid to Israel and what she called "the apartheid system that creates the suffocating, dehumanizing conditions that can lead to resistance."
Tlaib on Friday posted a video saying "the American people are not with" President Joe Biden in his support for Israel, and accused the president of supporting the "genocide" of Palestinians. The video included protesters chanting "from the river to the sea" — in reference to the land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River where Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories are located.
The phrase "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" is regarded by many as calling for the eradication of Israel and is considered antisemitic by the Anti-Defamation League.
The resolution said the phrase is "widely recognized as a genocidal call to violence to destroy the state of Israel and its people."
During debate on the resolution, Tlaib grew emotional, and said her criticism has "always been" of the Israeli government, not its people, according to the New York Times.
"I can't believe I have to say this, but Palestinian people are not disposable," she said. "The cries of the Palestinian and Israeli children sound no different to me."
Although a censure of a member of Congress holds no power beyond public condemnation, it is the most severe form of punishment without expelling a member from the body.
