Pelosi, senior House Dems push for resolution against fellow Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and senior Democrats plan to take floor action against fellow Democrat Representative Ilhan Omar following her statements against Israeli influence in the US political system.

News ID: 443779

Date: 06 March 2019 - 16:09

RNA - Democratic leaders are reportedly "still debating" whether to include Omar by name in the resolution which will be presented to the House on Wednesday, reported Politico.

Staffers from the offices of Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel and Representative Ted Deutch were reported to have begun writing the text over the weekend.

The announcement came after pressure mounted from numerous outside groups, including the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which wrote a letter to Pelosi calling for a vote against Omar's “latest slur.”

A senior Democratic aide, however, claimed that staffers had started working on the resolution before the group's letter.

The resolution will mark the second public rebuke of Omar by her fellow Democrat representatives after an initial outcry over her tweets criticizing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) for its role in shaping US policy earlier last month.

Facing a fierce backlash from Republicans and Democrats for her allegedly "anti-Semitic" comments, Omar "unequivocally" apologized for her earlier statements and deleted them.

Omar, however, later doubled down on her stance against Israeli influence.

Speaking to the Intercept last week, Omar denied that her apology was because her comments were "anti-Semitic" or badly worded, but because she wanted to "acknowledge" public sentiment.

"I apologized for the way that my words made people feel," said Omar.

Being the the first Muslim woman in Congress, some commentators believe the congresswoman has been the target of a smear campaign.

Recently, a poster linking the Muslim lawmaker from Minnesota to the 9/11 attack was reportedly hung in the West Virginia statehouse.

847/940