Tag: Minnesota

Ilhan Omar Faces Backlash for Refusing to Support Bill Recognizing Armenian Genocide

Anthony Gockowski

  Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) was one of three U.S. representatives to vote “present” on a bill recognizing the Armenian Genocide and the only member of Minnesota’s congressional delegation to not support the bill. The bill passed Tuesday in a non-binding vote of 405-11 and affirms that it is “the policy of the United States to commemorate the Armenian Genocide through official recognition and remembrance.” Those who supported the bill agreed to “reject efforts to enlist, engage, or otherwise associate the United States Government with denial of the Armenian Genocide or any other genocide.” The resolution calls for “education and public understanding of the facts of the Armenian Genocide, including the United States’ role in the humanitarian relief effort, and the relevance of the Armenian Genocide to modern-day crimes against humanity.” Omar was joined by Reps. Paul Gosar (R-AZ-04) and Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX-30) in voting “present” on the resolution. “I believe accountability for human rights violations—especially ethnic cleansing and genocide—is paramount. But accountability and recognition of genocide should not be used as a cudgel in a political fight. It should be done based on academic consensus outside the push and pull of geopolitics,” Omar said in statement released Tuesday…

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Rand Paul Offers to Buy Omar Ticket to Somalia So She Would ‘Appreciate America More’

Anthony Gockowski

  Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said he’s willing to contribute to travel expenses for Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) to visit Somalia so she would “appreciate America more.” “I’m in a town where we have a lot of people who are refugees. Some come from Somalia, some from Bosnia. I’ve never heard one of them say that America is a terrible place or be unappreciative of our country. Most of them are thankful,” Paul told Breitbart News this week. Paul joined President Donald Trump earlier this month in criticizing Omar for her “bitterness and anger toward the country.” “I think she does deserve a rebuke over trying to say we have a rotten country,” Paul said of Trump’s comments, according to the Washington Examiner. “I’m sort of dumbfounded how unappreciative she is of our country.” The Kentucky senator elaborated on those comments when speaking with reporters from Breitbart News this week. “She came here and we fed her, we clothed her. She got welfare. She got school. She got healthcare. And then, lo and behold, she has the honor of actually winning a seat in Congress and she says we’re a terrible country. I think that’s about as ungrateful as you…

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FLASHBACK: Mark Dayton Tells Minnesotans to ‘Find Another State’ If They Aren’t Happy

Anthony Gockowski

  Former Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, a Democrat, once told a crowd of frustrated residents to “find another state” if they weren’t happy with Minnesota. The comments were made during an October 2015 forum in St. Cloud hosted by the local chapter of the NAACP. Dayton was responding to concerns some residents had about the large number of refugees settling in the area. “Minnesota is not like it was 30, 50 years ago. But this is Minnesota and you have every right to be here. And anybody who cannot accept your right to be here and that this is Minnesota should find another state,” Dayton said, calling the behavior of some St. Cloud residents “unacceptable, un-Minnesotan, illegal and immoral.” “If you are that intolerant, if you are that much of a racist or a bigot, then find another state,” he continued. “Find a state where the minority population is one percent or whatever. It’s not that in Minnesota. It’s not going to be again. It’s not going to be that in St. Cloud, or Rochester or Worthington.” Video of Dayton’s comments were circulating in conservative Twitter circles Tuesday in response to the mainstream media’s coverage of President Donald Trump. As…

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Multiple Requests Filed for Formal Investigation Into Ilhan Omar’s Alleged Criminal Conduct

Anthony Gockowski

  State Rep. Steve Drazkowski (R-Mazeppa) announced Tuesday that he’s submitting a formal request for a full investigation of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN-05) wrongdoings to the U.S. House Committee on Ethics. Drazkowski made the announcement during a press conference Tuesday at the Minnesota State Capitol, where he said Omar “may be the most corrupt politician in Minnesota history.” “Had it not been kept from the public she likely would not be a member of Congress today,” he said. “Representative Omar deceived the IRS in filing her taxes when she filed jointly with someone who she was not legally married to. She deceived the voters, she lied to them about her sham marriage to Ahmed Elmi.”   As The Minnesota Sun reported, Drazkowski had previously asked Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN-02) to request an ethics investigation into Omar, but Craig allegedly dismissed the request and its importance. “I believe there is sufficient evidence to warrant an investigation. Congresswoman Omar has demonstrated a consistent pattern of deceptive and criminal conduct. The facts laid out in this request clearly show that there is probable cause for such an investigation,” Drazkowski writes in his letter to the U.S. House Committee on Ethics. “The United State…

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Ilhan Omar Begins to Refer to Somalia as ‘My Country’ Before Catching Slip-Up

Anthony Gockowski

  Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) began to refer to Somalia as “my country” before catching herself and calling it the “country I came from” during a recent speech. The slip-up came during her remarks to a crowd of supporters gathered to greet her Thursday night at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. “We have always been about creating a more perfect union, an inclusive one. One that is not just tolerant, but accepting. And so since the first day this president introduced the Muslim ban knowing my coun—the country I came from was on that and that my country now was on the track of implementing fascist laws, I knew that I had to speak up,” Omar said. The comments drew criticism from some conservative journalists, who questioned if Omar identifies “as an American or a Somalian.” LISTEN CLOSELY to @IlhanMN freudian slip here when she got back to MSP last night. So does she identify as an American or a Somalian? What say you? Plz share your Point of View pic.twitter.com/qhDVsnSQiT — Chris Berg (@chrisbergpov) July 19, 2019 Omar made similar remarks during a 2015 speech to the Revolution Somali Youth League before she was elected to the Minnesota House.…

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Ilhan Omar Cosponsors Legislation to Ban Federal Agencies from Using Term ‘Illegal Alien’

Anthony Gockowski

  Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) recently signed on as a co-sponsor to a bill that would prohibit federal agencies from using the term “alien” to refer to illegal immigrants. The bill, H.R. 3776, was introduced by Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20) and would prevent “executive agencies from using the derogatory term ‘alien’ to refer to an individual who is not a citizen or national of the United States.” Instead, federal agencies would be required to use either “foreign national” or “undocumented foreign national” when referring to illegal immigrants. “Words matter. It’s vital that we respect the dignity of immigrants fleeing violence and prosecution in our language. The words ‘alien’ and ‘illegal alien’ work to demonize and dehumanize the migrant community. They should have no place in our government’s description of human beings,” Castro said in a press release after introducing the bill Tuesday. His bill has 16 cosponsors, most of whom are members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus that he chairs, and was referred to the House Judiciary Committee for consideration. “Immigrants come to our borders in good faith and work hard for the opportunity to achieve a better life for themselves and their family,” Castro added. “Eliminating this language from…

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Ilhan Omar Has Nine Percent Approval Rating Among Swing-State Voters

Anthony Gockowski

  An internal poll reportedly “making the rounds of some of the most influential Democrats in America” shows that Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) has a nine percent approval rating among swing-state voters. The poll was obtained exclusively by Axios, which reports that the poll was conducted in May by Democratic leadership to assess the approval ratings of progressive Democrats among likely voters in swing states. The poll found that 22 percent of respondents had a favorable view of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14), while just nine percent had a favorable view of Omar. “If all voters hear about is AOC, it could put the majority at risk,” a top Democrat involved in the 2020 congressional races told Axios. “She’s getting all the news and defining everyone else’s races.” According to Axios, the group that conducted the poll shared it with the outlet on the condition of anonymity because it has to work with all members of the Democratic Party. The poll surveyed 1,003 likely general-election voters who are white and have two years or less of college education. The survey also found that only 18 percent of swing-state voters had a positive view of socialism, compared to 56 percent who viewed…

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Trump Says Ilhan Omar ‘Shouldn’t Even Be in Office’

Anthony Gockowski

  President Donald Trump weighed in on the ongoing feud between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12) and the so-called “squad,” a far-left faction of the Democratic Party that includes among its members Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05). The Minnesota Sun published an in-depth synopsis Friday of the growing schism among House Democrats. Pelosi has been dismissive of Omar and her allies, while they in turn have responded by suggesting that Pelosi’s being insulting or even racist. Trump weighed in on the Democratic infighting while speaking with reporters Thursday before departing the White House. He mostly discussed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14), the apparent ringleader of the squad, but called out Omar by name. “I think Cortez is being disrespectful to somebody that’s been there a long time. I deal with Nancy Pelosi a lot and we go back and forth, and it’s fine, but I think that a group of people is being very disrespectful to her. You know what? I don’t think Nancy can let that go on,” Trump said. Trump: Pelosi ‘Not a Racist’ https://t.co/Lw5oAMEdBB pic.twitter.com/JtdveohgwE — Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) July 12, 2019 “I’m looking at this Omar from Minnesota and if one half of the things that they’re…

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Omar and ‘the Squad’ Reportedly Isolated by Pelosi, Saddled With Work to Avoid Spotlight

Anthony Gockowski

  Tensions between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12) and the freshmen progressives in her party are starting to boil over. It was clear from the beginning that “the squad,” comprised of Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13) and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-07), wasn’t going to make things easy for Pelosi. For one thing, she’s repeatedly had to defend Omar and Tlaib against claims of anti-Semitism. The squad wants impeachment proceedings, while Pelosi would prefer to wait things out. Some members of the squad called for new leadership and would’ve liked to see Pelosi go. The Pelosi-squad schism has been the subject of several articles out of The New York Times and The Washington Post in the past few days. The squad’s vote against the House’s border-funding bill, which Pelosi called “our bill,” plus an “offensive” tweet from Ocasio-Cortez’s chief of staff that compared moderate Democrats to segregationists, are both factors that are threatening to bring the spat over the edge. “All these people have their public whatever and their Twitter world,” Pelosi said of the squad in a recent interview with The New York Times. “But they didn’t have any following. They’re four people and that’s how…

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Trump Weighs in on Minnesota Pledge Controversy: ‘I Will Be Fighting With You’

Anthony Gockowski

  President Donald Trump has weighed in on the ongoing controversy in St. Louis Park, where the City Council voted unanimously to stop reciting the Pledge of Allegiance before meetings. “Outrage is growing in the Great State of Minnesota where our Patriots are now having to fight for the right to say the Pledge of Allegiance. I will be fighting with you!” Trump wrote on Twitter Tuesday. Outrage is growing in the Great State of Minnesota where our Patriots are now having to fight for the right to say the Pledge of Allegiance. I will be fighting with you! @foxandfriends — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2019 The issue was brought to the president’s attention after Fox & Friends ran a number of segments highlighting the topic. On Tuesday, the morning news show played clips of Monday night’s City Council meeting, which attracted nearly 100 protesters in support of the pledge. “Well, the folks came out because they said it only takes 15 seconds and it means a lot to us. This is America,” host Pete Hegseth, a Minnesota native, said on Tuesday’s show. Imagine getting this worked up over the Pledge of Allegiance pic.twitter.com/wvPrMSQN60 — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar)…

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