Is Ilhan Omar a Democrat Marjorie Taylor Greene? GOP wants her ousted!
House Republicans are calling for Ilhan Omar to face the same punishment as Marjorie Taylor Greene over her Israel comments. A letter, signed by the eight Republicans who voted to boot Greene from her committee assignments, asks Democrats to "rise to the challenge you have set for yourself."
Omar, the Representative from Minnesota is currently facing backlash from both parties over her controversial tweet in early June. "We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the US, Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban," she tweeted on June 7. That tweet landed her in hot water, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi denouncing it in a statement. She wasn't the only one though. A dozen Democratic colleagues also slammed Omar, saying her statement "is as offensive as it is misguided."
RELATED ARTICLES
Fellow 'squad' members Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Cori Bush rushed to defend Omar, sparking off a political war in the Democratic party, as well as with conservatives like Meghan McCain. The controversy shows no signs of simmering however and has now taken a drastic turn with Republicans calling on Democrats to punish Omar, comparing her with the treatment of Greene.
'Her involvement cheapens the role of Congress'
The letter addressed to Speaker Pelosi asks Democrats to remove Omar from her committee assignments. That was the same punishment given to Greene, who was stripped of her committee assignments in February 2021. In that vote, 11 Republicans broke ranks with their party to support the motion. Now, several of those have also signed the letter calling for Omar to be booted.
Lead by Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), the letter says, "it's time to rise to the challenge you have set for yourself." It adds, "it is the responsibility of the party's leadership to hold accountable egregious words and actions made by members." The letter says Omar's comments "undermine the interests of the United States abroad and weakens the effectiveness of our foreign policy." The Republicans also say Omar's words "sends a dangerous signal to our allies and our adversaries alike."
The Republicans did note Omar's rebuke by some Democrats, but added that "to turn a blind eye on this would be a 'cowardly refusal' to hold members on your side of the aisle accountable." The letter is signed by Reps. Gimenez, as well as Mario Diaz-Balart, Adam Kinznger, Fred Upton, Chris Jacobs, Maria Elvira Salazar, Young Kim and Nicole Malliotakis. Gimenez tweeted the letter early on June 12, and said, "It's time to hold Rep. Omar accountable, @SpeakerPelosi. Her views of American foreign policy are dangerous to our national interest. We urge you to rise to the challenge you have set for yourself by removing her from her committee assignments."
It's time to hold Rep. Omar accountable, @SpeakerPelosi. Her views of American foreign policy are dangerous to our national interest. We urge you to rise to the challenge you have set for yourself by removing her from her committee assignments. pic.twitter.com/uYkSJLmdT1
— Congressman Carlos A. Gimenez (@RepCarlos) June 11, 2021
Will Omar be stripped of assignments?
Omar currently serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and a number of other caucuses and subcommittees. Despite public pressure, and being widely panned by her own colleagues, it remains to be seen whether she will actually be booted. That decision will be left to Pelosi, who at the moment doesn't seem inclined to act. Following Omar's tweet, Pelosi issued a statement saying, "Drawing false equivalencies foments prejudice and undermines progress toward a future of peace and security for all."
Later, at a press conference on Friday, June 11, Pelosi told reporters, "There’s some unease about how it was interpreted. She made her clarification." She did not confirm if any action would be taken though. On their own, Republicans do not have the votes needed to boot Omar out, so they are dependent on Pelosi and the Democrats deciding to do what they see as the right thing. That has led Rep. Malliotakis to sign another letter, with the support of 15 other members of Congress.
That letter also calls for Omar to be booted, saying "we consider anything less to be a form of complicity." That letter is also signed by Republicans, including Elise Stefanik, Steve Womak, and Ronny Jackson amongst others. With President Biden currently in Europe, the Democratic party is in chaos over how to respond. While Pelosi has attempted to end the feud, Omar has doubled down on her criticism of the House, with support from Cori Bush and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.