Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) made history as the first Somali-American woman elected to Congress. She was also one of the first two Muslim women elected. But now she is finding herself at odds with members on both sides of the aisle for remarks she made on Twitter construed, by some, as anti-semitic.
According to The New York Times:
“…she insinuated on Twitter Sunday night that American support for Israel is fueled by money from a pro-Israel lobbying group that has Jewish backing.”
If it was just one tweet, perhaps it wouldn’t be receiving this much scrutiny, but some argue it’s part of a pattern. This past tweet is cited as evidence.
She also retweeted this tweet (and later deleted it.)
Monday afternoon, it Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and several other Democratic congressional leaders issued a statement asking for Omar to “immediately apologize”:
UPDATE: Monday 3:30 et. Congresswoman Omar has apologized.
“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. I unequivocally apologize.”
