Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.) said she would "never apologize for being me" when asked Tuesday if she had any regrets about referring to President Donald Trump as a "motherfucker" last week while discussing the likelihood of impeachment.
"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," Tlaib said.
Rep. Tlaib on "impeach the motherf---er" comment: "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 ... I want you to know that I will never apologize for being me, and for being passionate and upset" pic.twitter.com/4Mp7nbvPZR
— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 8, 2019
"However, I have a right to be this passionate, this upset. I am a woman of color and I know my residents are nodding because they believe me ... And they have my back on this, but you know people like us never run for office. And when we do, this is who we are. We're as angry and upset as everybody else is passionate, but however, we have a course that we have to stick to, and nothing I should say should distract us from that. The shutdown has to be at the forefront, and that's what I'm here for," Tlaib continued.
A reporter asked Tlaib to clarify that she was not apologizing for the words she used, just for the distraction she caused.
"No, I want you to know that I will never apologize for being me and for being passionate and upset. Period," Tlaib responded.
Last week, Tlaib told supporters President Donald Trump would be impeached, saying Democrats would "impeach the motherfucker."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) said she did not like the words used by Tlaib, but added she would not set language standards for her colleagues. Rep. Jim Costa (D., Calif.) called the language "inappropriate."