Trump Calls on Omar to Resign Over 'Anti-Semitic' Remarks
President says congresswoman's remarks are 'deep-seated in her heart'
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Present Donald Trump called on Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) to resign after an anti-Jewish tirade that has been widely regarded as anti-Semitic.
“I think she should either resign from Congress or she should certainly resign from the House Foreign Affairs Committee,” Trump said of the freshman lawmaker.
On Monday Omar apologized for suggesting that U.S. support for a Jewish state is the result of funds running from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a pro-Israel lobbying group.
Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was accused of supporting the anti-Jewish campaign by Omar before she condemned the comments.
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Despite the uproar, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told Roll Call that Omar would not lose her committee assignments.
Trump said her comments are “deep-seated in her heart” before branding the apology “lame.”
“I think she should be ashamed of herself,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Asked at the time what an appropriate response would be for Omar, Trump said, “She knows what to say.”
According to The Hill: Omar prompted criticism from members of both major parties on Sunday evening when she retweeted journalist Glenn Greenwald's response to a story about House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) promising “action” toward the Minnesota lawmaker and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) over their alleged anti-Semitism.
She captioned that retweet with the message, “It's all about the Benjamins baby,” referring to money.
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Asked who she “thinks is paying American politicians to be pro-Israel,” Omar replied “AIPAC!” referencing the pro-Israel lobbying group.
The comments were quickly condemned by Pelosi and other Democratic leaders, who called her use of anti-Semitic tropes “deeply offensive.”
Republican lawmakers had seized on Omar's tweets, with McCarthy and others urging Democrats to speak out against the freshman lawmaker.
Conservatives touted GOP leaders’ decision last month to strip Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) of his committee assignments after he questioned why the term “white supremacist” is offensive, contrasting it to Democrats’ response to Omar.
But some Democrats have called Republicans’ punishment for King too little too late, pointing out that the Iowa lawmaker has made inflammatory comments about Hispanic immigrants for years.
Last month, Nancy Pelosi promoted Omar to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, despite controversy about Omar’s past antisemitic rhetoric and her radical anti-Israel foreign policy views.
“If [Pelosi] does not do something, we will take action on the floor.”
Greenwald tweeted in response that it was “stunning” that McCarthy and Republicans were defending Israel.
