Senator Lindsey Graham shut down questions about Representative Rashida Tlaib during a bipartisan press conference in Israel, asking the reporter be removed from the room.
Graham took the mic during a Monday press conference after a Newsmax reporter asked any of the Democratic senators on the stage to comment on Tlaib’s response to the Israel-Hamas war and a tweet from the congresswoman, in particular, that condemned Israel for the blast that hit Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza.
“Uh, stop,” the South Carolina Republican cut in. “No! Stop!”
Daniel Cohen, Newsmax’s Jerusalem correspondent, pressed the Republican senator, telling him, “It’s a fair question,” before Graham said, “Get this guy out of here.”
Newsweek reached out to Tlaib via email for comment.
Tlaib, the only Palestinian American member of Congress, has been the subject of heavy criticism over her response to the conflict in the Middle East.
Tlaib has repeatedly called for the United States to stop supporting the Israeli military in the past. In the wake of the fighting that erupted on October 7, she has renewed those calls, urging an immediate ceasefire and pointing to Israel as the root cause of the war.
She sparked particular outrage for a social media post about the hospital explosion, in which the Michigan Democrat wrote, “Israel just bombed the Baptist Hospital killing 500 Palestinians (doctors, children, patients) just like that.”
“@POTUS this is what happens when you refuse to facilitate a ceasefire & help de-escalate,” the post on X, formerly Twitter, reads. “Your war and destruction only approach has opened my eyes and many Palestinian Americans and Muslim Americans like me. We will remember where you stood.”
Israel, Hamas and the militant group Islamic Jihad have all denied responsibility for the strike.
Graham, who is in Tel Aviv with four of his Republican colleagues and five Democratic counterparts, was pressed by Cohen on Monday even as the senator called for the reporter to be removed, with the journalist insisting, “I’m an Israeli. I want an answer to the question.
“I’m an American,” Graham shot back. “And I believe in free speech.”
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
“I don’t believe what the Squad has to say at all,” Graham said, referring to the group of progressive House Democrats that includes Tlaib. “But I came here with Democrats and Republicans to let everybody in the world know—don’t judge every Democrat by the Squad and don’t judge every Republican by some of the things you hear.”
The senator then called on Congress to quickly pass a bill that would help both Israel and Ukraine’s defenses before apologizing to Cohen.
“I’m sorry, my friend,” Graham said. “I probably shouldn’t have said it, but my nerves are raw right now.”
While the Republican defended her freedom of speech on Monday, he’s been vocally critical of Tlaib and other progressives for mourning the deaths in both Israel and Gaza. As of Monday, over 1,400 people have been killed in Israel since the conflict began, according to the Associated Press. Over 4,300 Palestinians have been killed, the AP reported, citing the Gaza Health Ministry.
Graham has accused progressives’ responses of failing to support Israel and to condemn Hamas.
“To the Squad, shut the hell up,” Graham told Fox News earlier this month. “You’re emboldening the enemy. You’re a disgrace to the United States Congress. You’re siding with terrorists over a democracy called Israel. You’ve lost your perspective here.”
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.