diff --git a/synapse/handlers/federation.py b/synapse/handlers/federation.py
index c384789c2..0161fbe49 100644
--- a/synapse/handlers/federation.py
+++ b/synapse/handlers/federation.py
@@ -632,6 +632,7 @@ class FederationHandler(BaseHandler):
         event = yield self.store.get_event(
             event_id,
             allow_none=True,
+            allow_rejected=True,
         )
 
         if event: