Warren says GOP has been trying to ‘smear’ Rep. Omar for years amid decision to remove her from key committee
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren defended fellow Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., amid pressure to remove her from the House Foreign Affairs Committee, citing her experience living as a refugee while accusing Republicans of smearing her over her past remarks that some in her own party have called anti-Semitic.
In a television interview, Omar spoke about the vote to impeach her, calling it “politically motivated” and in some cases “motivated by the fact that many of these members do not believe that a Muslim, a refugee, an African should even be in Congress.”
In a tweet, Warren defended Omar in response to a video of Omar’s interview in which she made her remark.
OMAR BLASTS GOP ‘ISLAMOPHOBIA’ AMID COMMITTEE WITHDRAWAL BID: ‘THEY ARE NOT OK’ WITH MUSLIMS ‘HAVING A VOICE’
“@IlhanMN is the first African-born congressman and only member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee to have lived in a refugee camp,” she wrote. “It’s shameful that Republicans are trying to remove her after years of smearing her. We need her voice, her values and her expertise on the Committee.”
House Speaker Keven McCarthy, R-Calif., is seeking to convince holdouts within his own party to fire Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee for his repeated comments against Israel, America’s oldest ally in the Middle East, that she has since apologized. to. These comments include the appearance of equating the United States and Israel with Hamas and the Taliban. Omar has also been criticized for appearing to downplay the September 11 attacks.
REPRESENTING. ILHAN OMAR PRESSED ON OLD COMMENTS: ‘DID NOT KNOW’ THERE WERE ‘TROOPS ABOUT JEWS AND MONEY’
McCarthy last week unilaterally removed Reps. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., from the House Intelligence Committee, a select committee, citing national security concerns.
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In her TV interview, Omar said she was not accusing McCarthy of racism, but cited comments from former President Donald Trump and GOP officials. Marjory Taylor Greene of Georgia and Lauren Boebert of Colorado made remarks about Muslims in Congress, referring to herself and Rep. Rashida. Tlaib, D-Mich.
“These people are okay with Islamophobia,” Omar said. “They’re okay with trafficking in their own way, in anti-Semitism. They’re not okay with a Muslim having a voice in this committee.”
Warren says GOP has been trying to ‘smear’ Rep. Omar for years amid decision to remove her from key committee
