Tlaib did not tweet about 'raping and pillaging' America after protests at U.S. embassy in Iraq

A Facebook post attempting to portray U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib as anti-American has resurfaced as tensions between the United States and Iran escalate. The content of the post is fabricated.

There are multiple parts to the image in the Facebook post — it includes a picture of Tlaib on the left, a screenshot of a purported tweet by Tlaib, commentary about it by another Twitter user named "Fed up American," and a description at the bottom of the image claiming that the alleged tweet was "her comment on the Protesters Siege of the U.S. Embassy in Iraqi." (sic)

"She tweeted this out and deleted it immediately but not quick enough. She’s clearly anti-american and should not be in office," says Fed up American.

The tweet that Tlaib allegedly wrote says: "Americans have spent decades raping and pillaging my people. What goes around comes around. #FridayFeeling."

The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

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That’s because Tlaib never tweeted that. This faux tweet first surfaced a year ago shortly after Tlaib was sworn into office and made headlines for using profanity in a vow to impeach President Donald Trump. Tlaib was born and raised in Detroit and is the daughter of Palestinian immigrants. She’s a Democrat representing Michigan’s 13th congressional district.

As PolitiFact reported, the hoax tweet originated on Jan. 4, 2019, and came from another user who tried to make it seem as if it was a real account for the congresswoman. Tlaib’s real account has a blue checkmark badge by her name to indicate that it’s been verified by Twitter as truly belonging to her.

"Quick public servant announcement: If there isn't a checkmark next to my name on the tweet then it's fake! To all the foreign countries & reckless commentators out there spreading lies about me: Try to focus on disagreeing with me with facts, instead of making up shit," Tlaib tweeted Jan. 6, 2020.

Tlaib has tweeted that the United States should not go to war with Iran following news of the U.S. military killing Iranian security and intelligence commander, Qasem Soleimani, who led the Quds Force in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization. A series of events have intensified tensions between the United States and Iran, including a break into a U.S. embassy compound in Baghdad by supporters of an Iranian-backed militia (the Facebook post alludes to the embassy events.)

As for the fake tweet in the Facebook post, we rate it Pants on Fire!