The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lawmaker rebuked after Israel comment
Rep. Ilhan Omar is condemned by fellow Democrats after insinuating pro-Israel lobbying money fuels U.S. support.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who has been battling charges of anti-Semitism for weeks, drew swift and unqualified condemnation from fellow Democrats on Monday — including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the entire House leadership — after she insinuated on Twitter on Sunday night that U.S. support for Israel is fueled by money from a pro-Israel lobbying group that has Jewish backing.
Who is she?
Omar is one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress. The freshman representative serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Why is she in the news?
The Twitter exchanges began when Omar responded to a tweet by journalist Glenn Greenwald. Greenwald had accused Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, the House Republican leader, of targeting Omar and another Democratic freshman, Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, who has also been sharply critical of Israel.
“It’s all about the Benjamins, baby,” Omar wrote, a reference to hundred-dollar bills.
That set off more tweets in which a Jewish journalist asked whom Omar was referring to when she suggested that money was driving U.S. policy regarding Israel. “AIPAC!” she replied, referring to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. AIPAC does not contribute to political campaigns, but its large-scale conferences and congressional trips to Israel have long drawn enthusiastic and bipartisan participation.
They have also elicited charges that AIPAC has deliberately fed a one-sided view of the Israel-Palestinian conflict into U.S. politics.
“Legitimate criticism of Israel’s policies is protected by the values of free speech and democratic debate that the United States and Israel share. But Congresswoman Omar’s use of anti-Semitic tropes and prejudicial accusations about Israel’s supporters is deeply offensive,” the five House Democratic leaders said in a joint statement. “We condemn these remarks and we call upon Congresswoman Omar to immediately apologize for these hurtful comments.”
What’s next
Pelosi said she had spoken with Omar and said they “agreed that we must use this moment to move forward as we reject anti-Semitism in all forms.” Omar apologized via tweet on Monday.
Republican leaders demanded that Omar be removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee, just as Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, was stripped of his committee assignments after he made comments sympathetic to white supremacy.