WASHINGTON _ In a short series of cryptic tweets, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., on Tuesday criticized what she characterized as "right-wing media" harassment of her sister.
The posts did not name the media outlet or outlets or the exact nature of what may have occurred. Tlaib's office did not immediately respond to the Detroit Free Press' request for comment.
In the first post, Tlaib, who took office on Jan. 3 and is one of the first two Muslim women to be elected to Congress, posted a photo of her sister and her sister's children, saying, "Right-wing media is now targeting my little sister Layla. She's the mother of 3, a published writer & poet, and is a sexual assault advocate for survivors like herself."
Tlaib also said that her sister had, for some time, been "forced to go through extra screening at the airport b/c of unconstitutional processes," presumably because of security measures, though it was unclear from the posts whether that had anything to do with the allegation of harassment.
In the second post, which was a continuation of the first, Tlaib wrote: "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."
According to her LinkedIn profile, Layla Elabed is a coordinator with the sexual assault prevention program at ACCESS, otherwise known as the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services, in Dearborn, Mich.
Tlaib has been at the center of controversy almost since the moment she was sworn in, having gone to an event on the night of Jan. 3 and using an expletive to describe the president, saying "We're going to impeach the mother------."
She also has been targeted by some critics who have called her anti-Semitic for opposing legislation that could be used against Israeli boycotts intended to improve conditions in Palestine, though she has said that boycotts should be protected by the First Amendment.
