Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-OH) has an idea why House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his caucus want her removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee: to appeal to members Islamophobes and racists in Congress.
The Democratic congresswoman appeared alongside Representatives Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA) on Sunday state of the union, where anchor Dana Bash pressed them on Republicans’ reasoning about their committee placements. On Tuesday, McCarthy used special House rules to reject Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ request to reappoint Schiff and Swalwell to the House Intelligence Committee.
He has since pushed for a full House vote to remove Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee – necessary under House rules – although three Republicans have since said they would vote against his ouster. The measures come after Republicans vowed revenge after Democrats fired Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Paul Gosar (R-AZ) over racist comments and dangerous conspiracy theories the two had done.
Bash asked Omar about bipartisan condemnation of his past comments regarding Israel, which Democrats and Republicans have called anti-Semitic. Bash addressed specific concerns about Omar’s suggestion that Israel had “hypnotized” the world politicians who supported Israel did so for financial reasons – statements for which Omar had apologized.
Omar repeated those excuses and suggested, as in the cases of Schiff and Swalwell, that McCarthy’s quest to oust him was rooted in political revenge.
“It’s politically motivated,” Omar said. “In some cases, this is driven by the fact that many of these members do not believe that a Muslim, a refugee, an African should even be in Congress, let alone have the opportunity to sit on the Foreign Affairs Committee. “
“It sounds like you’re accusing Kevin McCarthy of racism,” Bash said.
“I’m not making any accusations. I am just stating the facts,” Omar said. She proceeded to Donald Trump reference comments fact about his election; Greene’s repeated Islamophobic statements about Omar; and Rep. Lauren Boebert’s remarks to a crowd about how glad she was that Omar didn’t have “a backpack” as they rode an elevator in the Capitol together.
“What did McCarthy do?” He said, she apologized, and we don’t have to worry about her Islamophobia,” Omar said. “And so these people are okay with Islamophobia. They’re okay with trafficking anti-Semitism in their own way. They’re not okay with a Muslim having a voice on this committee.
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