Fox News analyst Juan Williams claimed Monday on The Five that Zionists could not be trusted to criticize Democratic Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib.
Williams’ comment came during a segment discussing Tlaib’s recent comments about the Holocaust, which have spurred criticism.
WATCH:
“The bigger thing, because this happens a lot: We see the Republicans will straw-man an argument after the Democrats straw-man an argument, when they hear a quote by somebody on ‘The Five,'” Greg Gutfeld began. “Then you go. Seek the worst possible interpretation of the quote. This is the contagion that the media has infected the world with, which is that when you say something, I’m going to think that it’s the worst.”
“It’s also beyond the statement alone, as I mentioned before, you have Democrats on her side of the aisle calling her out for the policies that she supports. The Zionist Organization of America recently called on the Democratic Party to kick her out, kick her out of committees,” Lisa Booth chimed in. “They named terrorist and sympathizers that she associates herself with, so I think this is much deeper than just this simple comment.” (RELATED: Rashida Tlaib Uses Inaccuracy To Explain Why ‘The Tragedy Of the Holocaust’ Gives Her ‘A Calming Feeling’)
“You want to put it in a box and say, ‘Oh, everybody is this way or that way. And you are with the Zionists and the Zionists—,” Williams said before being cut off.
“Well do you support the [Boycott, Divestment and Sanction] movement?” Booth followed up.
“Are you kidding me? No, I don’t, but I’m trying to say you cannot trust the Zionists to go after Tlaib. But again, I’m sure that morning newspapers will say, ‘Well, President Trump tweeted, so we have to say — Representative Tlaib creates a controversy. No, Trump created the controversy and the Republicans—” Williams argued before others talked over him.
U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) (L) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) (R) talk as they accompany other freshmen House Democrats to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office to deliver a letter “urging him to end the shutdown” on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 16, 2019. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas.
Gutfeld laughed and responded, “You are doing the same thing that you are accusing her of.”
Tlaib’s comments that sparked this recent debacle came during her appearance on Yahoo News’ “Skullduggery” podcast on Saturday.
She stated:
There’s always kind of a calming feeling I tell folks when I think of the Holocaust, and the tragedy of the Holocaust, and the fact that it was my ancestors, Palestinians — who lost their land, and some lost their lives their livelihood, their human dignity, their existence in many ways — have been wiped out, and some people’s passports. And just all of it was in the name of trying to create a safe haven for Jews, post-the Holocaust, post-the tragedy and the horrific persecution of Jews across the world at that time. I love the fact that it was my ancestors that provided that, right? In many ways. But they did it in a way that took their human dignity away and it was forced on them.
While Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have criticized her, Democratic House leadership has stood by her and claimed that conservatives owed her an apology.
Fox News did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
