Democrats fail to shield Rashida Tlaib from House censure vote over her anti-Israel remarks
Although Democrats clearly supported Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib’s right to express her views on Israel and Palestine, they ultimately failed to shield her from a House censure vote on July 17th, 2019. The House passed a resolution which condemned Tlaib’s comments by a vote of 398-17. This represented an overwhelming majority of support for censuring Tlaib. Democrats had hoped to prevent a vote or at least block the resolution’s passage, but they were unable to do so. Tlaib received strong support from a few progressive organizations and activists who defended her right to free speech. However, her remarks had garnered widespread criticism from both Republicans and Democrats, making it very difficult for members of her own party to step in and protect her.