caught blue handed
Rashida Tlaib deletes tweet falsely blaming Jersey City shooting on 'white supremacy'
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) deleted a tweet Thursday morning in which she falsely credited Tuesday's deadly shooting at a kosher deli in Jersey City, New Jersey to "white supremacy" when in fact, the suspected shooters were reportedly Black Hebrew Israelites.
Tlaib deleted the post just minutes after it went up, but not before close observers were able to nab a screenshot. It didn't take long for the tweet to spread among influential political commentators, especially conservatives, like Dinesh D'Souza, who retweeted a post calling out the congresswoman's blunder.
The shooting in the Jewish community in Jersey City left six people dead, including a police officer. Investigators say one of the suspects posted anti-Semitic and anti-police sentiment online, noted The Associated Press. Two of the civilian victims, Mindy Ferencz and Moshe Deutsch, were reportedly members of the Orthodox Jewish community in the neighborhood. Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop announced on Wednesday that the massacre was a "hate crime" against Jews. Fulop stated there is reason to believe that the deli was a premeditated target, though investigators have not confirmed details about the suspects' motives.
Tlaib has yet to comment in response to the called-out deleted tweet.