In a rare move on the part of House Democrats, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other members of her party have decided to take floor action in response to controversial remarks Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) made about Israel.
This would mark the second time lawmakers from Omar’s own party came out in condemnation of her stance on Israel in recent weeks.
In response to a tweet from Representative Nita Lowey (D-NY), Omar explained that she “should not be expected to have allegiance/pledge support to a foreign country in order to serve my country in Congress.” Of course the implication was that supporters of Israel in Congress were more loyal to the Jewish state than to America.
The last instance Omar’s comments on Israel drew criticism followed the new congresswoman’s appearance in a Washington bookstore where she said she just wanted to talk about the influence of Israel on Congress without being called anti-Semitic. That followed a tweet she sent in early February suggesting that congressional support for Israel is “all about the Benjamins,” implicitly accusing all lawmakers that support Israel of being paid off by pro-Israel organizations.
While the Democrats’ resolution doesn’t site Omar by name, it is clearly aimed at her. Indeed, the part is being increasingly pushed to respond to Omar’s remarks, for which she was already forced to apologize twice. There has even been discussion of removing Omar from her position on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, although Chairman Eliot Engel (D-NY) is refraining from such a move in the meantime.
