New congresswoman on Trump: "Impeach the motherf*****"
The newly sworn-in Rep. Rashida Tlaib is not holding back on how she feels about President Trump.
Tlaib, a Democrat from Michigan who is among the first female Muslims to serve in Congress, used profane language to express her hope to impeach Mr. Trump in a reception with supporters hosted by liberal group MoveOn.org.
"And when your son looks at you and says, 'Momma, look you won. Bullies don't win.' And I said, 'Baby, they don't.' Because we're going to go in there, we're going to impeach the motherf*****," Tlaib said, to vigorous cheers from the people around her in the video posted to Twitter by immigration activist Nestor Ruiz.
Tlaib, an attorney and former state legislator who is the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, also co-authored authored an op-ed in the Detroit Free Press with the title, "Now is the time to begin impeachment proceedings against President Trump."
"We already have overwhelming evidence that the president has committed impeachable offenses, including, just to name a few: obstructing justice; violating the emoluments clause; abusing the pardon power; directing or seeking to direct law enforcement to prosecute political adversaries for improper purposes; advocating illegal violence and undermining equal protection of the laws; ordering the cruel and unconstitutional imprisonment of children and their families at the southern border; and conspiring to illegally influence the 2016 election through a series of hush money payments," the op-ed said.
Tlaib's congressional office in D.C., newly moved into, did not answer the phone and didn't have the option of leaving a message. But a Friday morning tweet indicated she isn't backing down.
"This is not just about Donald Trump. This is about all of us. In the face of this constitutional crisis, we must rise," she wrote.
But not even Democrats are welcoming Tlaib's comments. Newly elected House Speaker Nancy Pelosi offered no comment on Tlaib's words. When asked if she would talk to Tlaib about her remarks, Pelosi retorted: "I'm going talk to the president about his remarks."
Rep. Jerry Nadler, the new Democratic chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said he didn't like Tlaib's language — or the gist behind it. The House Judiciary Committee would initiate any impeachment efforts.
"I don't really like that kind of language, but more to the point, I disagree with what she said. It is too early to talk about that intelligently. We have to follow the facts," Nadler said on CNN Friday morning.
Oversight Chairman Rep. Elijah Cummings, whose committee will conduct many of the investigations into the Trump administration, told reporters this morning, "You cannot accomplish much of anything unless you have civility and show respect for your colleagues, and I think those kinds of comments do not take us in the right direction. So I would say they are inappropriate."
Cummings added he was "not at all" worried about his colleagues talking about impeachment because he believes "there are a lot of people in America who are asking for impeachment."
Rep. Debbie Dingell, a Michigan colleague of Tlaib's, stressed, "She's one member!" and said personally that "impeachment would tear this country apart."
A few Democrats, like Rep. Al Green, backed the idea and said impeachment talk was not a distraction. "We have always been able to walk and chew gun at the same time. I don't see any reason why that shouldn't prevail currently, I think there is great work to be done and this is part of that great work," Green said.
Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy expressed his anger with Tlaib's comments Friday. "That action should not stand. Somebody should stand up to her," he said.
Bo Erickson and Grace Segers contributed reporting