Marjorie Taylor Greene Moves to Censure Rashida Tlaib

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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

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Marjorie Taylor Greene said on Wednesday she's moving to censure fellow congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, after the Democratic lawmaker refused to apologize for blaming Israel for a deadly strike on a Gaza hospital.

The al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City was hit by a devastating blast on Tuesday night, hours before President Joe Biden's planned visit to Israel the following day. According to Palestinian officials, at least 471 people were killed in the strike, more than 314 were wounded, and hundreds of others remain under the rubble of the building.

Hamas blamed an Israeli strike on the tragedy, while Israeli authorities denied any responsibility, saying the blast was caused by a rocket launched by the militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which misfired. The group has also denied responsibility.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, Rashida Tlaib
Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), on the left, speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on September 14, 2023, and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), on the right, speaks to reporters at the Longworth House Office Building on... Getty Images

While visiting Israel, Biden backed Israel, saying that it looked like "the other team" was responsible for the attack on the hospital. But on Tuesday, Tlaib, one of the loudest critics of Israel within the U.S. government, said that Israel was to blame for the deadly blast.

"Israel just bombed the Baptist Hospital killing 500 Palestinians (doctors, children, patients) just like that," she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"@POTUS this is what happens when you refuse to facilitate a ceasefire & help de-escalate. Your war and destruction only approach has opened my eyes and many Palestinian Americans and Muslims Americans like me. We will remember where you stood."

The following day, the Michigan congresswoman refused to apologize for her statement and joined thousands of protesters at a solidarity rally calling for a cease-fire in Gaza on Capitol Hill.

She criticized Biden for his supportive stance towards Israel, saying: "To my president, to our president ... I want him to know, as a Palestinian American and somebody in Muslim faith, I'm not going to forget this. And I think a lot of people are not going to forget this."

Tlaib, who is of Palestinian descent, has been under scrutiny since Hamas' surprise attack on Israel on October 7, with fellow lawmakers and reporters demanding she condemn the militant group's actions. The Michigan Democrat previously released a statement mourning the loss of life on both Israeli and Palestinian sides, but she has not directly condemned Hamas' attack.

Republicans, especially MAGA supporters like Greene, have been calling for the expulsion of Tlaib. On Wednesday, Greene wrote on X that she was moving to censure the Michigan Democrat.

"I'm writing a censure resolution for Rashida Tlaib. After what she did today, I expect even Democrats will join in," she wrote. "She is an Israel hating America hating woman who does not represent anything America stands for."

According to U.S. law, members of Congress who have been censured are required to give up any committee chairs they hold, but they're not removed from office. For rebuking a member in such a way, the House of Representative needs a speaker, a figure currently missing as the GOP is divided over who should replace ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Newsweek contacted Greene's spokesperson and Tlaib's office for comment by email on Thursday.

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About the writer

Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property ... Read more