Pelosi Condemns Ilhan Omar for Comparing Israel, U.S. to Hamas and the Taliban
Source: AP Photo/Susan Walsh
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and her leadership team issued a joint statement criticizing comments from Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) that compared the United States and Israel with terrorist groups such as Hamas and the Taliban.
"Legitimate criticism of the policies of both the United States and Israel is protected by the values of free speech and democratic debate. And indeed, such criticism is essential to the strength and health of our democracies," stated Pelosi along with Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC), Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark (D-MA), Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), and Caucus Vice Chair Pete Aguilar (D-CA).
"But drawing false equivalencies between democracies like the U.S. and Israel and groups that engage in terrorism like Hamas and the Taliban foments prejudice and undermines progress toward a future of peace and security for all."
"We welcome the clarification by Congresswoman Omar that there is no moral equivalency between the U.S. and Israel and Hamas and the Taliban," House Democratic leaders added.
Pelosi's statement comes hours after GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) called Rep. Omar's comments "abhorrent" and said the Speaker's "continued failure to address the issues in her caucus sends a message to the world that Democrats are tolerant of anti-Semitism and sympathizing with terrorists."
The fact that Democrat leadership in the House singled out Omar for criticism is a change from the last time her anti-Semitic rhetoric landed her in trouble with those in her own caucus. A 2019 resolution condemning anti-Semitism following other comments by Omar at the time ended up being watered down into an absurdly intersectional expression of "anti-hate" that clearly didn't teach Omar a lesson.
House GOP Members Call for Ilhan Omar’s Removal from Foreign Affairs Committee
A group of House Republicans led by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), and Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) calling for the immediate removal of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) from the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
The press release said that “in light of recent anti-American, antisemitic, and bigoted statements” that were made by Omar, they are calling for her immediate removal from the foreign affairs committee.
“We write with a profound sense of concern in light of anti-American, antisemitic, and bigoted statements made by our colleague, Representative Ilhan Omar (MN-05),” the group wrote.
They continued, “Given Representative Omar’s history of engaging in this type of conduct, House Democratic leadership must take immediate and meaningful action to remove her from the House Committee on Foreign Affairs,” which is why the group will “consider anything less to be a form of complicity.”
The group then added:
Representative Omar’s track record of hate speech precedes her days in the House, but just one month after being sworn in last Congress, she bizarrely used her platform to spread antisemitism. The Congresswoman ascribed U.S. support for Israel as “all about the Benjamins,” drawing bipartisan rebuke, but she unfortunately, and unsurprisingly, face no accountable consequences from House Democratic leadership. Additionally, she has spewed violent anti-Israel rhetoric, minimalized the 9/11 attacks and “some people did something,” and made a mockery of American concern with al-Qaeda and Hezbollah. These statements are all as detestable as they are dangerous, and House Democratic leadership must respond in kind.
“Through her history of inflammatory, antisemitic, and subversive rhetoric, Representative Omar has repeatedly revealed her true beliefs which are counter to the example a Member of Congress must set,” they added to the letter.
The group additionally said:
While we commend our Democratic colleagues, who have criticized Representative Omar for her ‘deep-seated prejudice,’ her contention that these members engaged in harassment and the use of “Islamophobic tropes” reveals both a lack of contrition and the true nature of her character.
Breitbart News previously reported Omar made remarks during a hearing she attended virtually to question Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The tweet in which Omar attached a video of her remarks said, “We must have the same level of accountability and justice for all victims of crimes against humanity.”
The tweet continued, “We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban.”
Watch:
Crenshaw: Omar Grouping U.S., Israel with Terrorist Groups Was Deliberate, She ‘Has a Pattern’ of Antisemitism and Attacking America
On Friday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends,” Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) stated that Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) “has a pattern of antisemitic comments” and arguing that “America is a bad place, not worthy of our praise at all.” And should lose her spot on the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Crenshaw said, “I think she absolutely should be fired, and this is a pattern with her too. This isn’t just a one-off. She has a pattern of antisemitic comments. She’s constantly trying to make you believe that America is a bad place, not worthy of our praise at all. And what she does is she says something pretty outlandish and then she turns around and claims victimhood for it when people criticize her. This is the game that gets played. This is the pattern.”
He added that Omar’s grouping of the U.S. and Israel with terrorist groups was done “deliberately, alright? To say that this is a mistake…is nonsense. She, of course, thinks through it, and she does believe that.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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