Rashida Tlaib refuses to engage with Fox Business correspondent over 'death to America' chants in home district

Though she prides herself on taking defiant stances on all sorts of controversial issues, Michigan Democrat Rep. Rashida Tlaib was uncharacteristically mum on Wednesday when confronted by an inquisitive journalist.

When asked by Fox Business correspondent Hillary Vaughn to comment on a controversial rally held by some of her constituents in which chants of “death to America” were heard, Tlaib reacted angrily and refused to speak directly to the question, as the Daily Caller reports.

Incendiary rally sparks controversy

The subject of Vaughn's questioning was an Al-Quds Day rally that took place in Dearborn, Michigan, a city located in the heart of Tlaib's congressional district.

During the event, attendees were heard chanting “death to America” in response to comments made by speaker Tarek Bazzi.

According to Bazzi, America is among the world's “rottenest countries” due to its support of Israel, and therefore the aforementioned chants were justified.

Tlaib clams up

Unsurprisingly, the Dearborn event made headlines across the country, prompting Vaughn to seek comment from the town's representative in Congress, who is also very outspoken in her pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel views.

The lawmaker, however, was having none of it, loudly responding, “I don't talk to Fox News!”

Vaughn, undeterred, followed up by saying, “At a rally in your district, people were chanting 'death to America,' do you condemn...” before she was again cut off by Tlaib.

“I don't talk to people who use racist tropes,” the congresswoman retorted.

Vaughn asked, “Why can't you just say whether you condemn people that say death to America? Why are you afraid to talk to Fox?” to which Tlaib reiterated her accusation about the use of “racist tropes.”

Democrats' mixed response

As The Hill noted, Tlaib's inability to condemn the hateful remarks was not shared by the Biden White House, with press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responding in the affirmative to the question of whether the president condemned the protestors' words.

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud (D) also distanced himself from the demonstrators' statements by saying that his city is one made of “proud Americans,” though, notably, Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has remained silent when it comes to her stance on condemning the chants in what could perhaps be viewed as the loudest “statement” of all.