Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN), who recently sparked a firestorm over comments critical of Israel and its influence on American politics, has stirred up yet another controversy. In a sweeping interview with Politico, Omar made a few comments that appear to be highly critical of former President Barack Obama.
While Obama rode into office with the promise of “hope and change,” Omar believes that this was nothing more than “a mirage.” Instead of change, Omar contends, Obama continued with policies similar to that of his predecessor, including the “caging of kids” (at the border) and drone strikes.
Shortly after making those comments, Omar seemed to insinuate that Obama was a murderer, noting: “We can’t be only upset with Trump … His policies are bad, but many of the people who came before him also had really bad policies. They just were more polished than he was. And that’s not what we should be looking for anymore. We don’t want anybody to get away with murder because they are polished. We want to recognize the actual policies that are behind the pretty face and the smile.”
Other news sites have reported that Omar backtracked and clarified her comments, noting that she is a fan of Obama and that reporters were distorting words. She apparently tweeted “Exhibit A of how reporters distort words. I’m an Obama fan! I was saying how Trump is different from Obama, and why we should focus on policy not politics,” but the tweet has since been deleted.
Omar has emerged as a vocal firebrand in Congress. A member of the Somali-refugee community in Minnesota, Omar has been vocally pushing for dramatic, progressive reform. However, her policies, massive social media followings, and aggressive tactics have drawn flak from many establishment Democrats.
