At an Iowa event for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) Friday night, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) booed Hillary Clinton when her name was brought up by a moderator, leading the crowd to boo as well.
Moderator Dionna Langford was starting to bring up comments Clinton made recently where she claimed “nobody likes” Sanders when the crowd started to boo. Langford tried to get them to be respectful by saying, “We’re not gonna boo, we’re classy here,” but Tlaib picked up her microphone and said: “No, I’ll boo. Boo!”
“You all know, I can’t be quiet. No, we’re going to boo. That’s all right. The haters will shut up on Monday when we win,” she continued. The crowd then joined in as Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN) laughed hysterically.
BREAKING: At a @BernieSanders rally in Iowa tonight, a leading Sanders’ surrogate @RashidaTlaib led the crowd in booing @HillaryClinton. pic.twitter.com/AKdi2psI2h
— Christopher J. Hale (@chrisjollyhale) February 1, 2020
On Saturday morning, Tlaib offered a sort-of apology for her behavior.
“I am so incredibly in love with the movement that our campaign of #NotMeUs has created. This makes me protective over it and frustrated by attempts to dismiss the strength and diversity of our movement,” she tweeted. “However, I know what is at stake if we don’t unify over one candidate to beat Trump and I intend to do everything possible to ensure that Trump does not win in 2020.”
“In this instance, I allowed my disappointment with Secretary Clinton’s latest comments about Senator Sanders and his supporters get the best of me. You all, my sisters-in-service on stage, and our movement deserve better,” Tlaib continued. “I will continue to strive to come from a place of love and not react in the same way of those who are against what we are building in this country. This is about building a just and equitable future for my two boys, children across the country, and future generations.”
“However, I know what is at stake if we don’t unify over one candidate to beat Trump and I intend to do everything possible to ensure that Trump does not win in 2020. (2/4)
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) February 1, 2020
“I will continue to strive to come from a place of love and not react in the same way of those who are against what we are building in this country. This is about building a just and equitable future for my two boys, children across the country, and future generations.” (4/4)
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) February 1, 2020
Sanders’ campaign manager, Faiz Shakir, accepted Tlaib’s statement.
“Rashida, you’re all good. We love your passion and conviction. Don’t change,” he tweeted.
Clinton had angered Sanders supporters after an excerpt from a documentary about Clinton’s 2016 campaign released an excerpt showing the former secretary of state saying of Sanders: “He was in Congress for years. He had one senator support him. Nobody likes him, nobody wants to work with him, he got nothing done. He was a career politician. It’s all just baloney and I feel so bad that people got sucked into it.”
“It’s his leadership team. It’s his prominent supporters,” Clinton also said in the documentary. “It’s his online Bernie Bros and their relentless attacks on lots of his competitors, particularly the women. And I really hope people are paying attention to that because it should be worrisome that he has permitted this culture — not only permitted, [he] seems to really be very much supporting it.”
The Iowa caucus is on Monday. Just days ahead of the first primary of the year, a new national poll shows Sanders in a statistical tie with former Vice President Joe Biden for the first time. The Real Clear Politics polling average for Iowa shows Sanders with a slight lead over Biden.