Democrats send mixed signals on Omar despite repeated anti-Semitism

Democrats are sending mixed signals on Ilhan Omar, despite her persistent use of anti-Semitic tropes.

By David Isaac, World Israel News

House Democrats are sending mixed signals on freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who has repeatedly found herself facing accusations of anti-Semitism during her short tenure in office.

On the one hand, the U.S. House of Representatives will vote Wednesday on a resolution condemning anti-Semitism. On the other hand, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D.-Calif.) is not shying away from Omar either.

As the Washington Examiner reports, Pelosi “was out promoting the latest Rolling Stone cover, which features the two of them posing with other ‘new voices of the House.'”

On Saturday, Pelosi’s @TeamPelosi account tweeted, “A picture is worth 1,000 words but @aoc, @IlhanMN, @JahanaHayesCT and Nancy on the cover of @RollingStone is worth millions of dreams to women and girls across America.”

Pelosi has also placed Omar on the House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee. Pelosi did not react when President Donald Trump said on Feb. 12 that Omar should resign from Congress or at the very least be removed from that key committee following comments she made suggesting the pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC bought support with “Benjamins,” referring to $100 bills.

Calls for Omar to be removed from the Foreign Affairs Committee have been renewed in the wake of her most recent comments when she tweeted on Sunday the suggestion that U.S. politicians were being forced to “pledge allegiance” to Israel.

In her tweet, the Somali-born legislator said, “I should not be expected to have allegiance/pledge support to a foreign country in order to serve my country in Congress or serve on committee.”

The Washington Free Beacon reported that leaders of 11 American Jewish groups sent a letter Monday to Pelosi and Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee, demanding that Omar be removed from that committee.

“In light of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s recent anti-Semitic tweets, statements, and address before Islamic Relief USA on Saturday, February 23rd, we, the undersigned organizations, request that you immediately remove her as a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee,” the letter states in part.

Engel and Pelosi have not responded to that letter. Engel earlier on Monday condemned Omar for suggesting Jews who support Israel are guilty of dual loyalties calling it a  “vile anti-Semitic slur.” However, he stopped short of demanding her removal from his committee.

JNS contributed to this report.