“Dems in disarray” is the theme of the week in Washington, DC. House Democrats are engaged in infighting over the composition of what was supposed to be a resolution condemning anti-Semitism.

Talks have seriously broken down, and now even House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is saying she doesn’t believe Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) recent incendiary remarks were “intentionally anti-Semitic.”

But perhaps the most absurd talking point to come out of this week’s events comes from Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC). The Hill reports on what Clyburn had to say in defense of Omar yesterday:

Clyburn came to Omar’s defense Wednesday, lamenting that many of the media reports surrounding the recent controversy have omitted mentioning that Omar, who was born in Somalia, had to flee the country to escape violence and spent four years in a Kenyan refugee camp before coming to the United States.

Her experience, Clyburn argued, is much more empirical — and powerful — than that of people who are generations removed from the Holocaust, Japanese internment camps during World War II and the other violent episodes that have marked history.

“I’m serious about that. There are people who tell me, ‘Well, my parents are Holocaust survivors.’ ‘My parents did this.’ It’s more personal with her,” Clyburn said. “I’ve talked to her, and I can tell you she is living through a lot of pain.”

Say what?

Omar’s experiences as a Somalian refugee are no excuse whatsoever for her pushing anti-Semitic tropes.

DC Examiner‘s Philip Klein expands on the point:

This has to be one of the more bizarre efforts to protect somebody who has repeatedly peddled the worst anti-Semitic tropes, despite multiple interventions by people explaining exactly why her words were offensive. The implication is that because Omar fled Somalia she gets a free pass to target another religious minority.

It also in itself is deeply offensive. Remembering the Holocaust, and the oft repeated phrase “Never Again,” is about making sure we’re proactive about combating anti-Semitism before it manifests in ways that lead to mass slaughter.

Indeed.

Let’s talk about what this is really about for Clyburn, the third-ranking Democrat in the House. He’s a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. The CBC has a cozy relationship with – surprise! – Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan, who is anti-Semitical to the core:

1/ Remember the 2005 photo of @BarackObama and @LouisFarrakhan that was suppressed for 13 years? Well, that was not the only photo taken that day. Here's a group photo of Farrakhan and about 20 @OfficialCBC members from that same CBC meeting.https://t.co/eTwySGQgi5 pic.twitter.com/OJzR8laKH6

— jerylbier (@JerylBier) August 30, 2018

Clyburn himself has shared the same stage as Farrakhan, and refused to condemn him when pressed on the issue in 2018 by The Daily Caller.

So the House Majority Whip’s defense of Omar is really less of a defense of her and more of an attempt at deliberately and insultingly minimizing the horrific experiences of Holocaust survivors and their families, because when it comes to “allegiances”, the CBC is not going to do anything to offend the Minister of hate.

Any questions?

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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.–