Tlaib: ‘Right wing media is now targeting my little sister’

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) said Tuesday that “right wing media” is harassing her younger sister by calling her personal cell phone and showing up at her workplace.

Tlaib shared a photo of her sister Layla and her three children on Twitter.

“Right wing media is now targeting my little sister Layla,” she wrote in one of two tweets.

“She’s the mother of 3, a published writer & poet, and is a sexual assault advocate for survivors like herself.”

“For years she was forced to go through extra screening at the airport [because] of unconstitutional processes targeting POC,” Tlaib continued, referring to people of color.

“I ran for office, not her,” the freshman lawmaker continued. “She may be one of the reasons I fight back so hard against racist policies, but she doesn’t deserve being harassed, and called on her personal cell phone and at her workplace on daily basis.”

“You are going too far,” she concluded.

…targeting POC. I ran for office, not her. She may be one of the reasons I fight back so hard against racist policies, but she doesn’t deserve being harassed, and called on her personal cell phone and at her workplace on daily basis. You are going too far. (2/2)

— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) January 22, 2019

It is not clear what news outlets Tlaib is referring to, or the nature of any calls to her sister. The Hill has reached out to Tlaib’s office for more information.

Tlaib made history in November when she became the first Palestinian woman elected to Congress.

The Muslim lawmaker has faced criticism from the right after she called President Trump a “motherf—er” and called for his impeachment hours after her swearing-in ceremony.

She doubled down after she faced backlash from Republicans questioning her civility and decorum, saying she was “#unapologeticallyMe.”

“This is not just about Donald Trump,” she wrote on Twitter. “This is about all of us. In the face of this constitutional crisis, we must rise.” 

Tlaib also came under criticism for a tweet that criticized a Senate bill permitting state and local governments to ban contracts for firms that support a boycott of Israel, when she wrote of those supporting the bill that “they forget what country they represent.”

Tlaib also argued in the tweet that boycotting is a right and a part of the fight for freedom.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) accused her of spinning a common anti-Semite line. 

“This ‘dual loyalty’ canard is a typical anti-Semitic line,” he wrote.

She replied that she was clearly in her earlier tweet criticizing senators like Rubio who backed the Senate legislation.