(StraightNews.org) — The battle between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and controversial Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar has become more heated as the Minnesota Rep. accused McCarthy of demagoguery, only days after labeling him a racist. In her latest tweet, Omar said, “McCarthy is following a well worn playbook: pit minority groups against each other in order to further marginalize them. It has been used by demagogues throughout history and it won’t work.”
The Somali-born Rep. who came to the United States as a refugee in 1995, has reacted furiously to attempts by Speaker McCarthy to have her removed from the House Foreign Affairs committee, citing antisemitism on her part. Omar has likened Israel to the terror group Hamas and suggested Jews buy influence on Capitol Hill.
McCarthy will need to win a House vote to sideline Omar, and it is unclear when this might take place.
During an interview on CNN on January 29th, Omar said that GOP lawmakers do not want an African voice on the Foreign Affairs Committee. She lashed out at former President Donald Trump and his speeches alleging anti-American sentiment among the nation’s Muslims. She said the Republicans and Kevin McCarthy are merely echoing Trump’s views. When asked about allegations of anti-Semitism against her, the Minnesota Rep. said she did not know the language she’d used was anti-Semitic. Referring to her implication that pro-Israel politicians are being paid off and that the Jewish nation is hypnotizing the world, Omar said, “I certainly was not aware that hypnotized was a trope. I wasn’t aware of the fact that there were so many tropes about Jews and money.”
The clashes are the latest in a long-running series of disputes between the Congresswoman and her Washington colleagues. In 2021, she was rebuked by fellow Democrat—and then-Speaker of the House—Nancy Pelosi, for comparing the US to the Taliban. Omar said at the time that she did not intend to equate a terrorist organization with a democratic country.
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