Former president Barack Obama allegedly told Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.) he was "proud" of her during a meeting yesterday.
The freshman Democrat tweeted a picture of her standing with Obama, writing that he "met with us new members of Congress and we had a thoughtful discussion about serving our country."
"The best part was when he looked straight at me and said, 'I'm proud of you,'" Tlaib continued.
.@BarackObama met with us new members of Congress and we had a thoughtful discussion about serving our country. The best part was when he looked straight at me and said, "I'm proud of you." pic.twitter.com/cPDOth0B5i
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) March 28, 2019
Tlaib has had an eventful first few months in office.
In January, the Michigan Democrat promised attendees at a left-wing MoveOn reception in Washington, D.C., that Democrats would "impeach the motherfucker," referring to President Donald Trump.
Less than a week later, Tlaib attacked pro-Israel senators, suggesting "they forgot what country they represent," as the Senate prepared to vote on legislation that would permit the federal government to refrain from working with groups that refuse to work with Israel's government. Tlaib's remark was widely condemned as anti-Semitic, the Free Beacon reported:
The comment was quickly condemned by a number of American Jews. Seth Mandel, Washington Examiner magazine executive editor, called it "the dual-loyalty accusation," and wondered whether reporters would be asking Democrats to condemn the comments. Jonathan Greenberg, a senior fellow at the Salomon Center, wondered whether "someone is gonna keep track of how many classically anti-Semitic tropes Rep. Tlaib chalks up. She's off to a flying start." Howard Lovy, a Jewish author, called it the "old anti-Semitic 'dual loyalty' garbage … when the first thing she raises is the ancient specter of Jewish disloyalty, you know this is going to be a rough ride."
The accusation that Jewish Americans are loyal to Israel as opposed to their country of citizenship is a classic anti-Semitic canard. A 2018 publication from the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies argues that, "[i]n its most extreme form, the charge of dual loyalty amounts to an accusation of treason."
Tlaib once contributed an article to the Final Call, the Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan's publication known for promoting anti-Semitism. Tlaib also supports the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, which advocates for the boycott of Israeli organizations and companies to support Palestinian interests.
Earlier this week, Tlaib introduced a resolution urging the impeachment of Trump, despite House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying impeachment is "not worth it" in an interview earlier this month.