Trump says Rep. Ilhan Omar should resign
Congresswoman has apologized for comments seen as anti-Semitic
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that Minnesota U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar should resign from Congress or not be allowed to serve on committees following her tweet about Israel, which politicians from both parties decried as anti-Semitic.
“Anti-Semitism has no place in the United States Congress,” Trump said to reporters at a White House Cabinet meeting. He also called her apology “lame.” It was the latest fallout for Omar, whose apology came Monday afternoon following an unusual public rebuke from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other House Democratic leaders. Omar’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s remarks.
In a tweet on Sunday, Omar posted a song lyric, “It’s all about the Benjamins, baby” — which she later clarified to say she was meant to suggest that money from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, AIPAC, drove U.S. politicians to support Israel. It was not the first time that Omar has tweeted criticism of Israel.
“Anti-Semitism is real and I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes. My intention is never to offend my constituents or Jewish Americans as a whole,” Omar wrote in her apology.
She added that she continues to be concerned by the power of lobbyists in Washington, not just AIPAC but others like the National Rifle Association and the fossil fuel industry.