Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) is now suggesting that she’s been accused of anti-Semitism “because I’m Muslim.”
As was widely reported, Omar faced significant backlash earlier this month after she suggested that Jewish money is influencing bipartisan support of Israel—a variation of a common anti-Semitic trope. She eventually issued an apology, called “lame” by the president, but is now claiming she was criticized for her comments because she’s Muslim.
“But I think the theme here is because I’m Muslim. You know, there have been many members within journalism, within politics, within all kinds of aspects of our society who have spoken about the kind of influence that AIPAC [American Israel Public Affairs Committee] has on Congress and on our foreign policy. No one calls them anti-Semitic because they are Jewish but when it comes to someone like me, even the slight mention of them…,” she said before being cut off in an interview on the The Intercept’s Deconstructed podcast.
She then repeated those claims during a Wednesday town hall at Busboys and Poets in Washington, D.C. with Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13) and other progressive colleagues.
“What I am fearful of is that because Rashida and I are Muslim that a lot of our Jewish colleagues, a lot of our constituents, a lot of our allies go to thinking that everything we say about Israel to be anti-Semitic because we are Muslim,” she said.
Ilhan Omar & Rashida Tlaib have a history of anti-Semitism.
Both still proudly support a boycott of Israel.
But according to Omar, their “Jewish colleagues” are the problem and only call them out “because Rashida and I are Muslim.”pic.twitter.com/nOxkzpxlwz
— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) February 28, 2019
During that event, she also compared President Donald Trump’s election to the current crisis surrounding Nicolas Maduro’s regime in Venezuela, according to footage obtained by The Washington Free Beacon.
“If we are for the advancement of democracy, what does this country’s Constitution actually call for? You can’t be in the business of recognizing a country’s new leader when you would not allow that for yourself,” she said, noting that “none of us are happy with the kind of president we have.”
“Now if a foreign country just said, ‘Well, we think because Hillary got lots of votes, we’re just going to acknowledge Hillary as the leader of the United States,’ we would have a problem with that,” she continued. “Fortunately or unfortunately, that it what our Constitution says. We govern within the Constitution, so we should be in the business of allowing people to govern within their Constitution.”
– – –
Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Ilhan Omar” by Ilhan Omar. Background Photo “Ilhan Omar” by Ronna McDaniel.
