"If we don't hold impeachment proceedings today... this is not going to be the last CEO that runs for President of the United States," the Michigan congresswoman said Wednesday.
ADVERTISEMENTWASHINGTON — Freshman Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who in January came under fire for saying Democrats are "gonna impeach the motherf---er," met with activists Wednesday on Capitol Hill who are calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump.
In brief remarks to the activists in her Capitol Hill office, the Michigan Democrat called for impeachment proceedings to begin in the House.
"Remember, this is setting a precedent. If we don't hold impeachment proceedings today, start them today and hold him accountable to following the United States Constitution, think about that, this is not going to be the last CEO that runs for President of the United States," Tlaib said in remarks to the activists in her office in the Longworth House Office Building.
"This is not going to be the last person that tries to get away with this," she added. "And what does that say about the most powerful, most important body, most important position in the world?"
About two dozen activists from the groups By the People and CREDO Action were in Tlaib's office and called her "a champion" for leading the impeachment charge. Afterward, the activists launched protests at House Democratic leadership offices, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi's, D-Calif., personal office in the Longworth building.
"They tried to stop us, but we keep coming back," the group chanted outside Pelosi's office, where about a dozen protesters were arrested by Capitol Police.
In January, hours after being sworn into Congress, Tlaib told crowd of supporters that Democrats, with their newfound majority in the House, "are gonna impeach the motherf---er."
Trump said at the time that Tlaib's comments were "disgraceful" and that she "dishonored herself and dishonored her family." A few days later, she apologized for causing what she described as a "distraction."
"What I can tell you is that I am a person that is authentically me," Tlaib said. "I'm very passionate about fighting for all of us, and the use of that language, you know, was a teachable moment for me. And I understand I am a member of Congress, and I don't want anything that I do or say distract us. And that's the only thing I will apologize for, is that it was a distraction."
But even after Trump's former attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen, alleged in public testimony last week that Trump had violated campaign finance laws and lied to the American public, leading congressional Democrats are largely steering clear of impeachment chatter. Instead, Republican lawmakers are pushing the narrative that Democrats are laying the groundwork to impeach Trump.
Tlaib is one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress. The other, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., has also stirred controversy over a series of remarks about Israel that a number of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have called anti-Semitic.