Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., one day after sparring with Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., over her description of President Donald Trump's federal troop deployment in the nation's capital as a "fascist takeover," told Newsmax on Friday that such rhetoric is fueling violence around the country, including with the assassination of conservative leader Charlie Kirk.
"My reaction to what happened yesterday is people who are just commonsense people, decent people, moral people, we cannot be quiet against this insanity that comes from the radical left," Donalds told "Newsline."
He added that Tlaib "was trying to once again defame and dehumanize the people that she disagrees with politically … following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, there are nutjobs out in the country who are listening to her rhetoric, scribbling that stuff, putting it on the casing of bullets, and then shooting people."
The shouting match broke out Thursday during a House Oversight Committee hearing on crime in Washington, D.C., after Tlaib accused Republicans of mischaracterizing the city and urged her colleagues to resist what she called a "fascist takeover."
Donalds bristled at the remark, responding, "Chairman, I think it's insane if the gentlelady won't have an argument, but she's going to refer to me and some of my colleagues like we were from the Third Reich. This is insane. It's insane. It's insane. It's insane. Do I look like a member of the Third Reich to you, Ms. Tlaib?"
The congressman told Newsmax the rhetoric coming from Democrats is "outrageous" and has to be challenged.
"Listen, I want everybody to be safe," he said. "I recognize the humanity, even in the people I disagree with, like Rashida Tlaib. I want her to be safe. I want her to be able to go home to her family, just like I want to do the same to mine, but to let them continue with this insane rhetoric, which makes no sense simply because they want to win political elections, enough is enough. We've got to stand firm. When good people stand firm against insanity, the right prevails. Good people prevail."
He also accused Democrats of hypocrisy on free speech, pointing to their silence when Americans were censored or deplatformed.
"The Democrats don't care about free speech. They never have. Period," Donalds said. "When Americans were being silenced, when Americans were being censored, when Americans were being deplatformed, when Americans were being debanked, they didn't care. They cheered it on."
Donalds also dismissed Democrats' outrage over FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr's review of broadcast decisions, saying Democrats only invoke the First Amendment when it is politically convenient.
He also pointed to Disney's move against late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, citing falling ratings and advertiser concerns.
"So you know what, Jimmy?" Donalds said. "You got to sit down. That's what happened."
The left, he added, has "no credibility whatsoever."
"Maybe old-school Democrats did [stand for the First Amendment], but this new radical version of the [Democratic] Party has not. And that is not me saying it. The proof is in their actions," said Donalds.
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.