Ilhan Omar's Long History of Controversial Statements since Ascending to Congress
Congresswoman's past comments come back to haunt her
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Rep. Ilhan Omar has a colorful history of controversial statements, one of the most recent being the Democrat lawmaker comparing the United States and Israel with terrorist groups Hamas and the Taliban.
Although she walked back the statement, her past shows she isn't going to stop comparing the U.S. and Israel to terrorist groups any time soon.
Omar's recent statement caused backlash from her own party as well as her opponents when she compared America and Israel to murderous terrorist groups Hamas and the Taliban.
"We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban," wrote Omar.
"I asked [Secretary of State Antony Blinken] where people are supposed to go for justice."
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Multiple members of her own party spoke out against Omar’s rhetoric in a statement:
"Equating the United States and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban is as offensive as it is misguided," the group of Democrats said of Omar.
The signers of the statement included Reps. Brad Schneider, D-Ill.; Brad Sherman, D-Calif.; Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J.; Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass.; and Ted Deutch, D-Fla.
"Ignoring the differences between democracies governed by the rule of law and contemptible organizations that engage in terrorism at best discredits one’s intended argument, and at worst reflects deep-seated prejudice," the group added.
"The United States and Israel are imperfect and, like all democracies, at times deserving of critique, but false equivalencies give cover to terrorist groups. We urge Congresswoman Omar to clarify her words placing the US and Israel in the same category as Hamas and the Taliban."
In response, Omar accused the group who sent the press release of using "islamophobic tropes" in a late-night tweet.
"It’s shameful for colleagues who call me when they need my support to now put out a statement asking for ‘clarification’ and not just call," she said on Twitter.
"The islamophobic tropes in this statement are offensive. The constant harassment [and] silencing from the signers of this letter is unbearable."
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Omar’s fellow "Squad"-mate Rep. Rashida Tlaib, defended her accusing Democrats of being "Anti Msulsim."
"Once again disappointed in my colleagues quicker to condemn [Omar] than they are to condemn the human rights abuses of the apartheid state of Israel," Tlaib tweeted on Thursday.
"This statement purposefully distorts her words, stokes anti-Muslim hate toward my sister in service, and is unacceptable."
Accusing Israel of terrorism
Omar is a vocal critic of Israel, and her remarks seemed to catch fire amid the recent conflict between Israeli forces and Palestinian Authority-backed terror group Hamas.
After Israel and Hamas declared a ceasefire, Omar said it wasn’t enough and that the U.S. was "underwriting crimes against humanity."
Omar also accused Israel of engaging in "terrorism" following their airstrike defending themselves from Hamas attacks.
"Israeli airstrikes killing civilians in Gaza is an act of terrorism. Palestinians deserve protection. Unlike Israel, missile defense programs, such as Iron Dome, don’t exist to protect Palestinian civilians. It’s unconscionable to not condemn these attacks on the week of Eid," Omar wrote on Twitter.
Describing cops as a "cancer" that "we have to amputate."
The controversial Minnesota congresswoman doubled down on her commitment to "completely dismantle" the Minneapolis Police last year.
“Not only do we need to disinvest, but we need to completely dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department,” Omar told the cheering crowd during a Sunday "Defund the Police" rally.
"The Minneapolis Police Department is rotten to the root."
"When we dismantle it, we get rid of that, and we allow for something beautiful to arise!”
She then described cops as "cancer" that must be "amputated."
Omar Calls for Boycott of Israel, Likens Jewish State to Nazi Germany
Last year, Omar proposed a resolution that supports the right to boycott Israel as she compared the Jewish state to boycotts of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.
“We are introducing a resolution … to really speak about the American values that support and believe in our ability to exercise our First Amendment rights in regard to boycotting,” Omar told Al-Monitor.
"And it is an opportunity for us to explain why it is we support a nonviolent movement, which is the BDS movement,” she added.
Some people did something
In 2019, Omar trivialized the 9/11 attacks saying "some people did something," a remark that got her in hot water from both sides of the aisle.
The controversial Democratic lawmaker made the remarks, which sparked widespread outrage, during a March 23 speech at an event for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) — a group designated by the United Arab Emirates as a terrorist organization.
The New York Post responded to Omar's comments by making this the feature story in their Thursday publication with a cover photo of the World Trade Centers under attack on September 11, 2001, and with a headline that stated: "Here's your something."
The New York Post's cover for Thursday calls out Ilhan Omar for trivializing the 9/11 terrorist attacks as "some people did something" pic.twitter.com/xToghXSGw5
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) April 11, 2019
