Rep. Omar calls out GOP colleagues for ‘whitewashing’ after comparison to Greene
The Minnesota congresswoman says likening her to embattled Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is wrong
House Republicans are seeking to remove Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar from committees assignments in what some are calling a retaliation to House Democrats.
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House Democrats will vote on Thursday on whether or not to take away Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s assignments after she made inappropriate comments about school shooting victims. Now some House Republicans are looking to remove Omar for comments she made about the Jewish population.
Last year, Omar tweeted in response to Glenn Greenwald, who criticized Omar for comments she’d made critical of Israel.
“It’s all about the Benjamins, baby” Omar posted, receiving backlash from those who said the tweet encouraged anti-Jewish stereotypes.
She also alleged that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a lobbying group, was funding Republicans who were backing Israel and was again accused of stereotyping Jews.
“Anti-Semitism is real and I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes,” she tweeted.
“My intention is never to offend my constituents or Jewish Americans as a whole.”
Despite her apology, a handful of GOP lawmakers are still pushing for her removal from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
In a statement per The Hill, Omar said the move is a simple distraction from the behavior of members of the GOP. The statement reads:
“Republicans will do anything to distract from the fact that they have not only allowed but elevated members of their own caucus who encourage violence. It’s time to stop whitewashing the actions of the violent conspiracy theorists, who pose a direct and immediate threat to their fellow Members of Congress and our most fundamental democratic processes.”
As reported by theGrio, on Wednesday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said the House will vote on Thursday whether or not to reduce Taylor Greene’s assignments.
Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blasted House Republican leaders for not reprimanding Taylor Greene after it was discovered she claimed the school shootings at Parkland and Sandy Hook were staged.
Taylor Greene also mocked 20-year-old David Hogg, a Parkland survivor turned activist, calling him an idiot in a video where she revealed she’d confronted him. NBC News reports that back in 2019, she said of Hogg, “He is very trained. He’s like a dog. He’s completely trained.”
The comments were concerning especially because she sits on the Education and Labor committees. The resolution may remove her from both.
Read More: House Dems to vote on removing Taylor Greene from committee assignments
Taylor Greene also liked posts on social media that claimed Pelosi committed and was “guilty of treason,” which is “a crime punishable by death.” The questionable comments and behavior came before she was elected to office.
In a meeting held on Tuesday, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy asked Taylor Greene to apologize but she refused.
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