After the attack on National Guardsmen by an Afghan national, which killed one, and the arrest of another Afghan national on charges of making terroristic threats, a video has resurfaced from last year of Rep. Rashida Tlaib refusing to condemn chants of “Death To America” in her district. Tlaib clashed with a Fox Business reporter after being asked to condemn the chants, Newsweek reported.
On April 5, 2024 demonstrators gathered in Dearborn, Michigan, to mark the International Day of Al-Quds, an annual rally held in support of Palestine on the last Friday of Ramadan.
The protest took place outside the Henry Ford Centennial Library on Michigan Avenue.
According to The Detroit News, some attendees chanted “death to America” and “death to Israel” in Arabic during the event.
Fox Business correspondent Hillary Vaughn approached Tlaib on Thursday inside the Capitol Hill complex and asked, “At a rally in your district people were chanting ‘death to America,’ do you condemn?”
Tlaib replied, “I do not talk to Fox News.”
When asked again whether she condemned the chanting, Tlaib said, “I don’t talk to people that use racist tropes.”
She later added, “Using racist tropes towards my community is what Fox News is about and I don’t talk to Fox News.”
Vaughn then asked, “Is chanting death to America racist?” prompting Tlaib to respond, “I’m talking about your guys’ racist tropes. You guys know exactly what you do. I know you’re Islamophobic.”
A clip of the exchange was posted on X by Daily Caller media reporter Nicole Silverio, where it received more than 325,000 views.
The comments sparked criticism online.
On X, Republican Sen. Rick Scott said Tlaib “refuses to condemn chants of ‘death to America.’”
“This blatant disrespect to our nation is disgusting from anyone – especially a sitting member of the United States Congress,” Scott said.
Arsen Ostrovsky, a lawyer who runs the International Legal Forum, wrote that Tlaib was asked “at least 6 times” whether she condemned the chants and “refuses to answer.”
The chanting in Dearborn was also condemned by the city’s mayor, Abdullah Hammoud.
In a post on X, Hammoud said, “The hateful rhetoric heard on Friday does not reflect the opinion of the members of this community.”
“We reject all inflammatory and violent statements made at the gathering. The Dearborn community stands for peace and justice for all people. We are proud to call this city and this country home.”
President Donald Trump delivered a tragic update on the ambush that targeted two members of the National Guard in Washington, DC this week.Two guardsmen were shot by an Afghan national who overstayed his visa. Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, shot Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, near the White House on Thanksgiving Eve.
Beckstrom passed away from her wounds on Friday, according to multiple reports.
Lakanwal arrived in the United States under the Biden administration, having previously worked with U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan. He has been formally charged, and those charges could be upgraded following Beckstrom’s death.
Trump on Friday blamed former President Joe Biden and his immigration policies for allowing Lakanwal into the country. A reporter asked the president why he blamed Biden, prompting a sharp exchange.
“Because they let him! Are you stupid? Are you a stupid person? Because they came in on a plane, along with thousands of other people that shouldn’t be here,” President Trump replied.
Lakanwal reportedly entered the United States legally in 2021 under humanitarian parole through the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome program following the chaotic and deadly U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.
