Friday afternoon Politico released a story in which Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) said that the “hope and change” promised by Obama was a mirage, slammed a few of his policies, and said essentially that he got away with things because he was more polished than Trump.

The story quickly made the rounds of Twitter and cable news, and in short order Omar hit back with a tweet accusing Politico of taking her out of context and reassuring Dems that she is, indeed, an Obama fan.

https://twitter.com/Ilhan/status/1104116455224807424

She wrote:

“Exhibit A of how reporters distort words. I’m an Obama fan! I was saying how Trump is different from Obama, and why we should focus on policy not politics.

This is why I always tape my interviews.”

Ah, she latched right on to Pelosi’s “you just didn’t understand what she meant” tactic.

Other political writers and observers on Twitter took a listen to Omar’s recording, and one transcribed the audio. The transcript vindicates Alberta 100 percent, and makes Omar look like a moron.

https://twitter.com/dmartosko/status/1104149193537527810

Often political writers and their interview subjects have a love/hate relationship, so both sides routinely tape them for use in this exact circumstance. Alberta didn’t need his own recording since Omar’s showed that her claim was baseless, but made it known that he has a longer tape available. He took Omar to task on Twitter, calling her out on ignoring the professional courtesy of giving him a call with her questions about the audio before going straight to social media.

Exhibit A of how politicians use the media as a straw man to avoid owning what they said.

Your tape…supports what I wrote 100%. So does my longer tape. It's beyond dispute.

Next time, a phone call from your office before the Twitter ambush would be appreciated. https://t.co/eb2grgn5Cd

— Tim Alberta (@TimAlberta) March 8, 2019

In fact, the last quote in Martosko’s transcript is even more problematic for Omar, and wouldn’t have seen the light of day had she kept her mouth shut.

“We want to recognize the actual policies that are behind the pretty face and the smile, so that we can understand the kind of negative impact, or positive impact, they will have on us for generations.”

If Omar continues to behave like a spoiled child, the media that’s been sympathetic and adoring up until this point will turn on her in ways she could never imagine.