Rep. Max Miller accused Rep. Rashida Tlaib of ties to Hezbollah on the House floor Wednesday, triggering a shouting match that froze proceedings for more than an hour and ended with his remarks being struck from the record. Miller was later barred from speaking on the floor for the rest of the day.
The confrontation broke out during debate over a Lebanon war powers resolution that would force President Donald Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from Lebanon. Miller said, "Hezbollah is a terrorist organization... and its members are butchers that you like to hang out with to a certain extent," before Tlaib shouted back and told him, "That is an attack on my character." She then demanded that Rep. Jay Obernolte rule Miller out of order, and Obernolte removed the comments from the record.
The episode drew in more Republicans, including House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, who tried to enter materials into the record about Tlaib’s alleged association with terrorist groups. Mast said, "Yes, I said it. I own it, and I stand by it." Among the materials was a 2023 Digital story reporting that Tlaib was a member of a private Facebook group that glorified Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of Israel.
The fight came as Republicans argued the Lebanon resolution would aid Hezbollah, even though the measure itself does not mention the group. GOP lawmakers said the proposal could disrupt U.S. military operations in Lebanon, including efforts tied to protecting the American embassy in Beirut and training the Lebanese Armed Forces.
Tlaib is expected to force a vote on the measure Thursday, but the resolution appears likely to fail on the House floor amid bipartisan opposition. For now, the bigger fact is that a procedural fight over Lebanon turned into a public accusation of terror ties, and the House spent Wednesday cleaning up the damage.
