Newly-elected Democratic Congresswoman Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) said she will only apologize for causing a “distraction” with her profanity-laced rant threatening to impeach President Trump.
Last week, at a MoveOn event near Capitol Hill, Tlaib was caught on camera saying, “People love you and you win. And when your son looks at you and says, ‘Momma, look you won. Bullies don’t win.’ And I said, ‘Baby, they don’t, because we’re gonna go in there and we’re gonna impeach the motherf***er.’”
Yesterday, Tlaib described her comments from last week as a learning experience, according to NBC.
When asked if she had any regrets about her comments, the congresswoman replied, “What I can tell you is I am a person that is authentically me. I’m very passionate about fighting for all of us, and the use of that language, you know, was a teachable moment for me.
“And I understand I am a member of Congress, and I don’t want anything that I do or say distract us. And that’s the only thing I will apologize for, is that it was a distraction,” she continued.
Tlaib is the first Palestinian American elected to Congress and one of two Muslim women sworn in to the 116th Congress.
Tlaib’s comments drew criticism from some in her own party, with Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) apologizing to “all Americans” for her “horrible” language.
Speaking with Fox News host Neil Cavuto last week, Manchin said, “To act like that is just awful and to speak like that is even more deplorable. I am so sorry. I want to apologize to all Americans, any sitting congressperson — there’s 535 of us there, 100 senators and 435 congresspeople. We should have better manners than that, I assure you.”
Tlaib’s anti-Trump comments, as Fox News pointed out, came after the Detroit Free Press published her op-ed last week which called for President Trump’s impeachment:
“President Donald Trump is a direct and serious threat to our country. On an almost daily basis, he attacks our Constitution, our democracy, the rule of law and the people who are in this country,” Tlaib wrote. “Each passing day brings more pain for the people most directly hurt by this president, and these are days we simply cannot get back. The time for impeachment proceedings is now.”
