Rep. Rashida Tlaib talks about past death threats in tearful Capitol riot speech on House Floor

DETROIT – On Thursday’s House Floor, members of Congress shared their personal, often stunning, accounts of the January 6 attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob. The hearing, which described the most violent domestic attack on Congress in US history, was emotional to some – especially Rep. Rashida Tlaib from Michigan.

Late Thursday night, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y., colleagues in an hour-long session where Congressmen shared their stories of that troubling day.

Lake: Ocasio-Cortez leads lawmakers to recall the siege of the Capitol

Congressman Tlaib, who has represented Michigan’s 13th congressional district since 2019, was among the Democratic lawmakers who shared their stories of the attack. The lawmaker was not at the Capitol during the January 6 riot, but she says watching the attack from home brought her back to the death threats she has received since taking office.

“On my very first orientation day, I got my first death threat,” Tlaib recalls Thursday. ‘It was serious. They took me aside. The FBI had to go to Mr.’s house. I haven’t even been sworn in yet, and someone wanted me dead just because I existed.

‘Each time I became paralyzed. So what happened on January 6th, all I could do is thank Allah for not being there; I felt an overwhelming relief, ”added Tlaib.

Tlaib was not at the Capitol on Jan. 6 due to COVID precautions. She says she watched in horror as extremists broke into the Capitol buildings, forcing lawmakers to flee in search of safety and in fear for their lives.

“And I feel bad for Alexandria (Ocasio-Cortez) and so many of my colleagues who were here,” Tlaib said on the House Floor. “But the way I saw it, I thought to myself, ‘Thank God I’m not here.'”

“All I wanted to do was come here and serve the people (who) raised me; the people (who) told my mother, who was only eighth grade, that she deserves human dignity. People (who) believed in me. And so it is difficult, ”Tlaib continued.

For Congressman Tlaib, the attack on the Capitol was the last straw. During her speech on Thursday, Tlaib called on members of Congress to punish hate speech and urged them to stop downplaying the uprising.

Please. Please take seriously what happened on January 6, “she said.” It will lead to more death. “

In all, five people died during or as a result of the chaos at the Capitol, including a protester, Ashli Babbitt, who was shot by police in the Capitol, and Brian Sicknick, Capitol police officer who was fatally injured in the confrontation with the crowd. Three other people died from medical emergencies.

Tlaib is not the only congressman – not even the only one from Michigan – to face death threats. Just before the 2020 election, Rep. Elissa Slotkin was also the target of a violent threat in a voicemail in her office. That caller said they planned to shoot their way to victory.

The Thursday House session took place a few days before former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial. Rep. Ocasio-Cortez said lawmakers’ stories needed to be told at a time when some in Congress and the nation are trying to minimize the January 6 damage and “move on.”

“Unfortunately, all too often this is what we hear from trauma survivors,” said Ocasio-Cortez, who was criticized by opponents this week after sharing her own poignant story of hiding that day, fearing for her life.

She said, “Twenty-nine days ago our country’s Capitol was attacked. That’s the big story. And in that big story lie thousands of individual accounts, just as valid and important as the others. “

Since the attack, experts have said the uprising could have been much more deadly, and getting congressmen to safety was a quick thought and most likely saved lives.

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