


The House voted down a measure seeking to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), dealing a blow to conservative Republicans who sought to punish the Michigan Democrat over accusations of antisemitic behavior related to comments she made regarding Israel last month.
Lawmakers voted 222-186 to table the motion, overcoming the simple majority vote needed to kill the vote on the House floor. The measure failed after 23 Republicans joined all Democrats in tabling the motion, pushing it past the 217-vote threshold.
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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) introduced the censure resolution last week that accuses Tlaib of displaying "antisemitic activity" and "leading an insurrection" at the U.S. Capitol, referring to a demonstration last week when pro-Palestinian protesters rallied outside members' offices to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. More than 100 of the protesters were arrested, with a handful being charged with assaulting police officers, according to the U.S. Capitol Police.
The resolution was filed in response to comments made by Tlaib blaming Israel for a deadly airstrike at a Christian hospital in Gaza last month despite U.S. intelligence reports reporting evidence the explosion was caused by a misfired rocket from Palestinian Islamic Jihad. However, Tlaib refused to walk back the comments, prompting pushback from her Republican colleagues.
The censure resolution would've required a two-thirds vote to pass, but the table to motion only required a simple majority to kill the measure temporarily. A handful of Republicans came out against the motion ahead of the vote on Wednesday, making it increasingly unlikely to pass during a final vote.
“Because what’s the point of having an ethics committee if we don’t use it," said Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), who voted to table the motion.
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Several Democrats predicted a censure resolution would be forthcoming shortly after the House elected a new speaker, with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries brushing it off as a political distraction.
"With all the challenges we are facing right now, House Republicans are racing to once again list up something that Marjorie Taylor Greene is doing, which tells us that their focus continues to be in the wrong place," he said.