During Thursday’s broadcast of “CNN Tonight,” Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) decried President Donald Trump’s call not to allow Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) entry into Israel.
The Israeli government followed through with Trump’s request, to which Jackson Lee said was the result of an administration and presidency “out of control.”
“I heard a discussion just the other day on the economy in the United States, and someone described this administration as a drunken, out of control with no purpose,” Jackson Lee said. “And I would simply say that today I was stunned. Frankly, it is an administration out of control. The office of the presidency out of control. It is engaging in behavior that historically has never been heard of by the president of the United States. I am appalled and stunned that you would tell another nation not to allow your citizens who are not members of Congress but plainly are law-abiding citizens.
“Tragically it goes again to the attitude of the administration about Muslims and the fake news about people’s beliefs, of which they know none of,” she continued. “And so I believe Israel should reconsider and allow these two sitting members of Congress to do their oversight duties.”
Host Don Lemon noted Trump’s comments about Omar and Tlaib’s attitude about Jews, to which Jackson Lee dismissed.
“I asked the question what proof does he have?” Jackson Lee added. “I have no proof of that, and I’ve not seen nip evidence of hatred from those two members. They have different opinions from many of us. They have different opinions from many people in the United States Congress and many people in the United States, but they have opinions that are the same that some people have the United States. But the most important point is if diplomacy is diplomacy, then what it means is that you en engage, you allow discussion, dissent and debate. That’s what our constitution protects. As a member of the Judiciary Committee, we hold that very clear. And so, I would just ask the leadership of Israel and take note of the fact that AIPAC, a strong, strong resolved organization for the survival, support and promotion of the people of Israel and Israel has indicated that that was wrong-headed and that Israel should open its doors to these two members of Congress.”
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor
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