Rep. Ilhan omar (D-MN), claimed that Kevin McCarthy (R, CA) is “ginning fear and hatred against Somali-Americans” by threatening to remove her from committee assignments for her past comments, which many consider antisemitic.
McCarthy had promised Omar that he would remove her from the Foreign Affairs Committee position if Republicans win a majority. This he repeated in a speech to Republican Jewish Coalition’s 2022 leadership conference in Las Vegas. McCarthy, a Minnesota representative, accused McCarthy of racism and claimed that Republicans wanted to ban all Muslims from the country.
Omar stated that the statement “gins up fear and hatred against Somali-Americans, and anyone who shares mine identity, and further divides us along racial or ethnic lines.” It is part of a continued campaign against Muslim voices and African voices that Omar’s party has been trying to ban ever since Donald Trump ran for office.
Omar tried to shift blame to Republicans by claiming that Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgian representative, was the one who incited antisemitism.
McCarthy is now supporting people like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Emmer, instead of trying to resolve the hostility toward religious minorities within his party,” she said. He would have made sure that others in his party apologised if he truly cared about the rise in hatred. McCarthy’s attempts to constantly single me out for hatred and score — even threatening to remove me from my committee — do nothing to address the issues that our constituents face. It doesn’t address inflation, healthcare or the climate crisis.
McCarthy cited Omar as the reason for an increase in antisemitism in his speech to Republican Jewish Coalition.
McCarthy stated, “We saw antisemitism develop not only on our campuses but also in the halls and offices of Congress.” “You know, I made another promise last time. Ilhan Omar, a congresswoman. I still remember what she said to me. I recall what she said about Israel. I still remember what she said regarding the U.S.-Israel relationship. It was so vivid that I still remember it. Last year, I promised her she would not be involved in foreign affairs. That promise I keep.”
Republicans and some Democrats have been critical of Omar’s comments about Jews and Israel. Many see them as reinvigorating antisemitic tropes. She tweeted in 2012: “Israel has hypnotized world, may Allah awaken people and help them see Israel’s evil doings.” #Gaza #Palestine #Israel.”
