by Molly Prince
Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar raised nearly $1 million for her 2020 re-election campaign despite repeatedly receiving backlash for anti-Semitic and anti-America comments.
Omar raised $832,000 in the three months since being sworn into congressional office, according to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) report filed Monday. The massive fundraising haul puts her among the top-earning House Democrats.
Omar’s time in congressional office has been embroiled in allegations of anti-Semitism. She has defended her anti-Israel statements, such as ones invoking Allah to expose Israel’s “evil doings,” and she is on record suggesting Israel is not a democracy. She also gave an interview to a host that referred to Israel as the “Jewish ISIS” and mocked how Americans speak about al-Qaeda and Hezbollah.
The Minnesota congresswoman has also faced criticism from both sides of the aisle for espousing ages-old anti-Semitic canards while in office, such as accusing Jews of having a dual loyalty to the U.S. and Israel and that American support for Israel is bought by the pro-Israel lobby.
The House of Representatives passed an anti-hate resolution that was intended as a reprimand for Omar’s anti-Semitic comments.
The financial disclosures show that while the Minnesota congresswoman received only $10,000 from PACs, two of her fellow Democratic colleagues, and ardent defenders, also donated to her campaign.
House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn donated $1,000 to Omar on March 29. Clyburn notably excused one of Omar’s anti-Semitic claims by saying her experience as a refugee has been more difficult than that of the descendants of Holocaust survivors or slaves who are not as intimate with such atrocities.
Omar also received $2,000 on March 28 from Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The self-described socialist has repeatedly defended Omar’s controversial statements even when facing condemnation from Democratic leadership.
Most recently, Ocasio-Cortez came to Omar’s defense after the Muslim congresswoman described the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks as merely an event where “some people did something.” Republican Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL, voiced his offense with the description, and Ocasio-Cortez immediately fired back accusing the decorated veteran of not caring about 9/11 victims and first-responders.
Omar overwhelmingly won the election to Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District by a 56-point margin. However, the Minnesota Democratic Party is reportedly considering removing her from congressional office for her repeated anti-Semitic statements.
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Molly Prince is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation. Follow Molly on Twitter.
