Remember that apology Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) tweeted out in the aftermath of two anti-Semitic tweets she posted in early February that had even Democrats telling her she needed to back off?
To recap, here’s what she wrote a the time in response to the backlash:
Listening and learning, but standing strong 💪🏽 pic.twitter.com/7TSroSf8h1
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) February 11, 2019
Red State‘s Brandon Morse wrote last week that Omar clarified later that her “apology” wasn’t really an apology at all. Red State‘s Elizabeth Vaughn actually called this out shortly after the non-apology itself was posted on Twitter.
As it turns out, not only is Omar not sorry for those tweets, but she has doubled down on the anti-Semitic rhetoric in the weeks after.
The Politico reports:
Rep. Ilhan Omar is drawing criticism again for comments about Israel — this time suggesting that pro-Israel activists and lawmakers hold “allegiance to a foreign country.”
In a lengthy and blistering rebuke late Friday, Rep. Eliot Engel, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Omar’s remarks amounted to a “vile anti-Semitic slur” and called on the Minnesota Democrat to apologize.
I welcome debate in Congress based on the merits of policy, but it’s unacceptable and deeply offensive to call into question the loyalty of fellow American citizens because of their political views, including support for the U.S.-Israel relationship,” the New York Democrat, who is Jewish, said. “Her comments were outrageous and deeply hurtful, and I ask that she retract them, apologize, and commit to making her case on policy issues without resorting to attacks that have no place in the Foreign Affairs Committee or the House of Representatives.”
Another Democratic leader in the U.S. House, Rep. Nita Lowey (NY-17), rebuked Omar in a tweet posted on Sunday. Not surprisingly, she was attacked by Omar and her defenders, prompting American Jewish Committee CEO David Harris to defend her:
Rep. @NitaLowey is a decades-long champion of civil rights, women’s empowerment, immigration, the environment, & global engagement.
To see her assailed — and her loyalty questioned — by fellow Democrat @IlhanMN is nothing less than a travesty!
Feels like modern-day McCarthyism. https://t.co/cub4Ma42O1
— David Harris (@DavidHarrisAJC) March 3, 2019
As expected, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), an anti-Semitical colleague of Omar’s, came rushing to the Minnesota Congresswoman’s defense, insinuating she was a “civil rights icon” for continuing to push anti-Semitical tropes:
.@IlhanMN's strength inspires me and so many. She is being targeted just like many civil rights icons before us who spoke out about oppressive policies. As she uplifts my Sity and other Palestinians in the name of justice and peace, she shows us real courage. https://t.co/IItiZ8nkpt
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) March 4, 2019
The Free Beacon reported this morning that prominent Jewish groups are calling for Omar’s removal from the Foreign Affairs Committee:
“Even after her ‘apology’ for her anti-Semitism, she went on to speak at a forum together with well-known anti-Semites who have known ties to terrorist organizations and those who seek harm to the Jewish people and the destruction of the State of Israel,” they write.
“We need to ensure that anti-Semitism has no place within the venerable House Foreign Affairs Committee,” the letter states. “We therefore respectfully request that Congresswoman Omar be removed, immediately, from the sensitive work of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.”
Read their full letter here.
I speculated yesterday that there’s little House Democrats can do to stop her:
I see ppl LOLing at the Tlaib & Omar stuff as if it's funny. It's not. Dem leaders can call them out, but unless they do something actionable, they can't be removed from office. So for at least the next 2 yrs two anti-Semitical Congresswomen will be spewing their bile unimpeded.
— Sister Toldjah 😁 (@sistertoldjah) March 4, 2019
There’s nothing Democratic leadership really *can* do about this, outside of stripping Omar of her committee assignments. They built this by way of excusing the rising anti-Semitism in their ranks for so long, and now the chickens are coming home to roost.
In any event, I’m sure Speaker Pelosi will get right on it. Once the Rolling Stone March cover promos are over with.
A picture is worth 1,000 words but @aoc, @IlhanMN, @JahanaHayesCT and Nancy on the cover of @RollingStone is worth millions of dreams to women and girls across America.
To them we say: know your power. Know your worth. Have a plan. And be ready. #WomensHistoryMonth pic.twitter.com/tCp84ixRw2
— Nancy Pelosi (@TeamPelosi) March 2, 2019
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—Sister Toldjah is a former liberal and a 15+ year veteran of blogging with an emphasis on media bias, social issues, and the culture wars. Read her Red State archives here. Connect with her on Twitter.–
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