Democratic lawmakers are preparing to formally denounce Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN-05) anti-Semitic comments in a House resolution set to be voted on Wednesday.
Omar once again found herself at the center of a controversy after video leaked of her making anti-Semitic comments at a Washington, D.C. coffee shop.
“I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country. I want to ask why is it OK for me to talk about the influence of the NRA, of fossil fuel industries or Big Pharma, and not talk about a powerful lobbying group that is influencing policies?” Omar said during an event at Busboys & Poets.
Steve Hunegs, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, said he was “dispirited and appalled that Rep. Omar would traffic in yet another antisemitic trope.”
“As the ADL helpfully explains on its website, the antisemitic allegation often referred to as the ‘dual loyalty’ charge, ‘alleges that Jews should be suspected of being disloyal neighbors or citizens because their true allegiance is to their coreligionists around the world or to a secret and immoral Jewish agenda,’” Hunegs continued.
“Our community is exasperated by Rep. Omar’s unfulfilled promises to listen and learn from Jewish constituents while seemingly simultaneously finding another opportunity to make an antisemitic remark and insult our community,” he concluded his statement.
In response, Democratic Party leaders have prepared a resolution to formally condemn anti-Semitism, though the resolution doesn’t explicitly mention Omar by name.
“The myth of dual loyalty, including allegations that Jews should be suspected of being disloyal neighbors or citizens, has been used to marginalize and persecute the Jewish people for centuries for being a stateless minority,” the resolution states, noting that “accusations of dual loyalty” have an “insidious, bigoted history.”
It concludes by stating that the House of Representatives “acknowledges the dangerous consequences of perpetuating anti-Semitic stereotypes and rejects anti-Semitism as hateful expressions of intolerance that are contradictory to the values that define the people of the United States,” according to a copy of the resolution obtained by Politico.
President Donald Trump weighed in on the controversy Monday night, writing on Twitter that Omar “is again under fire for her terrible comments concerning Israel.”
Representative Ilhan Omar is again under fire for her terrible comments concerning Israel. Jewish groups have just sent a petition to Speaker Pelosi asking her to remove Omar from Foreign Relations Committee. A dark day for Israel!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 5, 2019
“Jewish groups have just sent a petition to Speaker Pelosi asking her to remove Omar from Foreign Relations Committee,” Trump said. “A dark day for Israel.”
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Ilhan Omar” by Ilhan Omar. Background Photo “Ilhan Omar” by AAIUSA.
