Chaos between top Republicans and Democrats erupted on Capitol Hill Thursday after two high-ranking lawmakers engaged in a testy verbal spat that was caught on camera.
In now viral footage, a shouting match broke out during a House Oversight Committee hearing yesterday after “Squad” Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) described President Trump’s Washington, DC crime crackdown as a “fascist takeover.”
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) interjected saying the comments were “way out of line.”
During the hearing, Tlaib accused her Republican colleagues of distorting the crime situation in the nation’s capital to support the president’s agenda, claiming, “I don’t see what they see.”
“I don’t understand why we’re allowing that to happen, because I actually think it’s going to hurt our communities,” Tlaib said.
“I think it’s really important, we need to stand up against this fascist takeover. That’s not a bad word. It’s a fact,” Talib asserted.
Tlaib then urged House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) to “not allow rhetoric that defames or paints Washington, DC in a way that you all haven’t really truly seen.”
Donalds, a supporter of President Trump’s efforts to curb violent crime in DC, interjected when Tlaib’s time expired, but the congresswoman continued to speak.
“Mr. Chairman, I think it’s insane that the gentlelady doesn’t have an argument so she’s going to refer to me and some of my colleagues like we were from the Third Reich – this is insane,” Donalds said, while talking over Tlaib.
“Do I look like a member of the Third Reich to you, Ms. Tlaib?” Donalds, who is black, then asked the Michigan Democrat, raising his voice. “Is that what I look like to you?”
Donalds demanded an answer from her, asking again, “Is that what you think?”
She finally responded with “No.”
Donalds retorted by saying:
“I think it’s radical. I think it’s insane, and I’ll respect everything you say. But to say something like that about myself and a lot of my colleagues is way out of line. It’s way out of line.”
“But it’s okay, right? It’s okay, right?” he added.
Watch the entire altercation —
Heated exchange between Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Byron Donalds (R-FL).@RepRashida: We need to stand up against this fascist takeover. That's not a word. It's a fact."
Rep. Byron Donalds: "Do I look like a member of the Third Reich to you?" pic.twitter.com/PdX3in75ba
— CSPAN (@cspan) September 18, 2025
Tlaib quickly countered by raising allegations that Donalds voted on the House floor earlier this year when he was not in town.
“Please, oh please!” Tlaib shouted.
“You’re the one taking your voting card, giving it to somebody, committing a crime. That’s unethical!”
Donalds continued to press Tlaib on her “fascist” remark as she hammered him on the “ghost voting” allegation.
“Is that what you think? Is that what you think? I think it’s radical, and I think it’s insane … to say something like that to myself and my colleagues is way out of line,” Donalds said.
Tlaib fired back: “You hold yourself accountable before you talk about Washington, DC. Keep Washington, DC out of your mouth!”
To which Donalds responded: “Hold your own self accountable. How about that?”
Tlaib then started chanting, “Free DC! Free DC!” before Comer was finally able to bring the panel to order.
Donalds told reporters he felt Tlaib’s was trying to label him and fellow Republicans “fascist,” which he said was “a sore subject” in the aftermath of last week’s assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“She used the exact same irresponsible rhetoric that inspired Tyler Robinson and was completely out-of-line,” Donalds wrote on X, referring to Kirk’s suspected killer.
Take a look at Donalds’ response —
Rashida Tlaib had no point to make, so she called Republicans “FASCIST” again.
She used the exact same irresponsible rhetoric that inspired Tyler Robinson and was completely out-of-line.
Enough is enough.
We must set the record straight.
We must call them out EVERY SINGLE TIME. pic.twitter.com/d03yNaq9rW— Congressman Byron Donalds (@RepDonaldsPress) September 18, 2025