Tag: Minnesota

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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Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison Meets with British Anti-Semite Jeremy Corbyn

Anthony Gockowski

  Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison recently met in London with Jeremy Corbyn, leader of Britain’s Labour Party. “Awesome day in London, especially meeting with Rt. Hon. Jeremy Corbyn—a true grassroots organizer,” Ellison wrote on Twitter July 2 along with a picture of him posing with Corbyn. Awesome day in London, especially meeting with Rt. Hon. Jeremy Corbyn – a true grassroots organizer. pic.twitter.com/Jl6HhyVNxY — Keith Ellison (@keithellison) July 2, 2019 Ellison evidently met with some of Corbyn’s political allies, too. “Insightful discussion with Keith Ellison, Attorney General of Minnesota, on fighting inequality and taking on Trump’s politics of scapegoating and prejudice,” Richard Burgon, a member of Parliament and self-described “socialist,” wrote on Twitter. “Movements backing Bernie Sanders in the USA and Jeremy Corbyn here are part of the same struggle for the many not the few.” Insightful discussion with @keithellison, Attorney General of Minnesota, on fighting inequality & taking on Trump’s politics of scapegoating and prejudice. Movements backing @BernieSanders in the USA and @jeremycorbyn here are part of the same struggle for the many not the few! pic.twitter.com/hzR3l7tPtD — Richard Burgon MP (@RichardBurgon) July 4, 2019 Corbyn was mostly a fringe figure in British politics until his ascension to…

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Keith Ellison Faces Renewed Scrutiny Over Antifa While Promoting Efforts to Tackle ‘Bias-Motivated Crimes’

Anthony Gockowski

  Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has been working with local officials to crack down on the rise of “bias-motivated” crimes. The Star Tribune has published a number of articles highlighting the effort, and reports that Ellison’s office is in the process of creating a working group that would improve law enforcement’s ability to prevent hate crimes. In late June, Ellison met with leaders in Fergus Falls to discuss the increase in hate crimes in rural Minnesota. “What’s clear is these people are organizing,” Ellison said of white-supremacist groups, according to The Star Tribune. “They’re here in Minnesota and they are violent and they’re willing to stab and hurt people while hiding behind the First Amendment.” The Star Tribune editorial board published a July 5 article praising Ellison for his outreach efforts. “Ellison is doing listening sessions and collecting ideas for how his office can be more helpful to victims of harassment and other types of race or religion-based hate crimes,” the editorial board said. “Ellison’s outreach efforts wisely reflect the need for statewide involvement in combating racism throughout the state and supporting local officials like Mayor Schierer who are trying to combat it.” Ellison has been promoting the effort…

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Ilhan Omar Pushes Back on Use of Terrorist Watchlist with Support of CAIR

Anthony Gockowski

  Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) recently issued a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo requesting information about the “dissemination of data” from the country’s Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB), commonly referred to as the terrorist watchlist. Omar was joined by ten of her congressional colleagues in crafting the letter, including Reps. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-07), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13), and Mark Pocan (D-WI-02). “In our oversight role as members of Congress, we are entitled to information as to which countries receive this sensitive and classified information about American citizens, many of whom have never been charged, arrested or convicted of a crime,” the letter states, according to a press release from Omar’s office. “We are also extremely concerned that the federal government is sharing watchlist information with countries with dubious human rights records, including Saudi Arabia and China,” the letter continues. “Giving the same people who violently murdered Jamal Khashoggi access to the watchlist puts lives in danger. We have also received credible reports that Uyghur activists have been added to the watchlist at the behest of the Chinese government. It is unacceptable for U.S. resources to contribute to the brutal repression of political dissidents abroad.” The letter concludes…

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Ellison Passes Over Klobuchar, Endorses Sanders for President

Anthony Gockowski

  Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has endorsed (again) Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont for president, straying from a pack of Minnesota politicians who are supporting hometown candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar in the race. “Kamala, Julien [sic] and Pete all did very well. Elizabeth showed why she is a true leader; champion of working families everywhere. But Bernie Sanders dominated both nights with the force of ideas, which have been consistent throughout his service. I support him—like I did last time,” Ellison wrote on Twitter early Friday morning after the second night of Democratic debates. Kamala, Julien & Pete all did very well. Elizabeth showed why she is a true leader; champion of working families everywhere. But @BernieSanders dominated both nights with the force of ideas, which have been consistent throughout his service. I support him – like I did last time. — Keith Ellison (@keithellison) June 28, 2019 Ellison was one of the first members of Congress to support Sanders’ 2016 bid for the presidency. Sanders, in turn, supported Ellison in his run for DNC chair in 2017, and his 2018 campaign for his current role as Minnesota’s attorney general. Ellison told The Star Tribune that his endorsement of…

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Omar, AOC Voted Against Bill That Would Improve Standards of Immigrant Detention Centers

Anthony Gockowski

  Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) joined three House Democrats in voting against a bill Tuesday evening that would provide $4.5 billion in emergency border funding, some of it for humanitarian relief. According to NPR, the House bill “seeks to establish protocols to meet standards of care for migrants held in temporary emergency shelters, including food, water hygiene and basic medical care.” “And the legislation places caps on how long unaccompanied migrant children can stay in those facilities and places standards of care on government contractors operating detention facilities,” the outlet adds. In an exclusive interview with Fox Business, President Donald Trump said was he “not happy” with the bill “because there’s no money for protection.” “It’s like we’re running hospitals over there,” he added. The Hill reports that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12) urged Democrats to support the bill during a closed-door caucus meeting Tuesday afternoon. “Understand what we’re up against in the White House. The president would love for this bill to go down today,” Pelosi said, according to a Democratic aide who spoke with The Hill. “A vote against this bill is a vote for Donald Trump and his inhumane, outside-the-circle of civilized attitude toward the children,” she…

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9/11 Gaffe, Technical Difficulties, Spanish Responses: Highlights from ‘BORING’ First Debate

Anthony Gockowski

  Ten Democratic presidential candidates took to the debate stage in Miami, Florida Wednesday night for the first of a two-night event. President Donald Trump weighed in on the debate with just one word: “BORING!” BORING! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 27, 2019 He later criticized NBC News after moderators Chuck Todd and Rachel Maddow had to cut to a commercial break to deal with microphone difficulties. “NBC News and MSNBC should be ashamed of themselves for having such a horrible technical breakdown in the middle of the debate,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “Truly unprofessional and only worthy of a FAKE NEWS organization, which they are!” .@NBCNews and @MSNBC should be ashamed of themselves for having such a horrible technical breakdown in the middle of the debate. Truly unprofessional and only worthy of a FAKE NEWS Organization, which they are! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 27, 2019 Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) represented the Midwest during the first round of debates. Klobuchar highlights Early on in the debate, Klobuchar earned a round of applause after taking a shot at Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who said he was the only candidate on stage who had…

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New York Times Isn’t Forthright About Population Growth of St. Cloud, Local Paper Responds by Calling Own Readers ‘Cowards’

Anthony Gockowski

  The New York Times recently sent one of its east-coast reporters to St. Cloud, Minnesota to report on the frustration some residents have with the influx of refugees settling there. The article begins by noting that a “few thousand” refugees “moved into this small city.” But a few paragraphs later The Times writes: St. Cloud, the state’s 10th largest city, increased in population by 33 percent over the last 30 years, to roughly 70,000 people. The share of nonwhite residents grew to 18 percent from 2 percent, mostly with East African immigrants from Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia, and the numbers of Somalis are estimated to grow. According to the City of St. Cloud, the estimated 2019 population is 67,924, so a population of 18 percent East African immigrants would be 12,226. A jump from 2 percent of the population to 18 percent would be an increase in 10,868. The actual number of refugees is likely a bit lower, but not as low as the “few thousand” reported by The Times. According to U.S. Census estimates, the number of foreign-born residents as of 2017 was 6,865. Additionally, between 2000 and 2012, the population of the City of St. Cloud grew…

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Reporter Calls Star Tribune ‘Frauds,’ Says They Owe Minnesotans Apology for Omar Coverage

Anthony Gockowski

  Few reporters have done more to expose Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) than David Steinberg, with the possible exceptions of Preya Samsundar formerly of Alpha News and Scott Johnson of Power Line. The three of them together did most of the grunt work in uncovering Omar’s marriage controversy. Samsundar was reporting on the topic as early as August of 2016, when Omar was running for the Minnesota House. But according to The Star Tribune, they’re just “conservative activists” who can’t even be trusted with a screenshot. ‘Covering their tracks’  In a June 22 article, The Star Tribune took a look at the allegation in question: whether Omar “once married a man – possibly her own brother – to skirt immigration laws.” But much of the information in that article was reported by Steinberg in a series of articles he wrote for PJ Media between August and November of 2018. “The Star Tribune ran a dishonest, cowardly piece of journalism tonight,” Steinberg said in response. “For 3 years, the paper ignored the work of reporters Preya Samsundar, Scott Johnson, and myself on Ilhan Omar’s disturbing past. Ignored our emails offering new evidence. Now, Ilhan Omar is a national disgrace. Globally, anti-Semites…

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