House censures Rep. Rashida Tlaib over anti-Semitic comments

Twenty-two Democrats joined almost all Republicans on Tuesday night to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., the only Palestinian-American in Congress, over comments she made against Israel and Jewish people. Tlaib argued she was criticizing the Israeli government and not the Jewish people. In 2019, Tlaib defended comments she had made previously on the Yahoo News Skullduggery podcast, saying thoughts of the Holocaust gave her a “calming feeling.”

What does a censure mean? A censure is the House’s second harshest punishment for disciplining members, just one step below expulsion. The 234-188 vote comes after another resolution to censure her failed to gain enough support for a floor vote last week. Also last week, Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., survived a vote to expel him from the House.

Dig deeper: Read Leo Briceno’s report in The Stew about how the House and Senate are at odds about how to support Israel.