Freshman U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib has been a lightning rod for controversy since taking office in January. She referred to President Trump as a "motherfucker" the day of her swearing-in, and now she's inviting collegues to join her on a trip to Palestinian Territories during an August recess, competing with AIPAC/AIEF’s trip to Israel for freshmen members, the Jewish Insider reports.
On Tuesday, she was asked if she'll attend the Israel trip, to which she responded: “No, I have my own trip."
Her five-day visit is arranged by the Humpty Dumpty Institute, a New York policy center that describes itself as a "nonprofit organization dedicated to tackling difficult global and domestic issues." Its name refers to "putting the pieces back together."
Tlaib, the first female Palestinian-American member of Congress, first talked about the idea of having such a trip in December during an interview with the Intercept.
The mission, she says, is to help “people see the human impact on Palestinians, and what an opportunity of value to have a sitting congressmember that has a living grandmother in the Occupied Territories.”
Several other lawmakers express interest in the trip, the New York Daily News writes. “We hope people can listen to all sides of the issue,” institute executive director Joe Merante tells the paper.
Update
The congresswoman reacts to pushback about her trip:
Policing my words, twisting & turning them to ignite vile attacks on me will not work. All of you who are trying to silence me will fail miserably. I will never allow you to take my words out of context to push your racist and hateful agenda. The truth will always win.
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) May 13, 2019