Detroit’s Democratic lawmaker Rashida Tlaib has called for the resignation of Neil Barofsky, the federal monitor tasked with overseeing the United Autoworkers, following reports of a call in which Barofsky hammered UAW President Shawn Fain in 2024 over the union’s call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Drop Site obtained and authenticated a recording of the conversation, which undercuts previous claims by Barofsky about his interactions with Fain. During a board meeting around the same time, Barofsky claimed, according to previously leaked minutes, that he had never said that the UAW statement crossed a line into antisemitism, but in the call he repeatedly made that claim. Barofsky also claimed he didn’t share his own opinion with Fain on the call, but in fact Barofsky does so at length.
The recording also undercuts Barofsky’s claims about what Fain said during the call. Barofsky claimed that Fain told him he had intended to compare Israel to Nazi Germany, that Fain said he wasn’t interested in hearing other perspectives, and that he said it was “bullshit” that Jews were suffering as a result of rising antisemitism.