Rep. Ilhan Omar has already hit back after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took a not-so-subtle shot at her while speaking at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference on Tuesday.
While speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill, Omar was asked about Pelosi condemning anti-Semitism, questioning dual loyalties to the U.S. and Israel, and the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel.
“We must also be vigilant against bigoted or dangerous ideologies masquerading as policy, and that includes BDS,” Pelosi said at AIPAC.
Omar responded soon after by arguing that the BDS movement was an exercise of free speech.
“A condemnation for people that want to exercise their First Amendment rights is beneath any leader, and I hope that we find a better use of language when we are trying to speak as members of Congress that are sworn to protect the Constitution,” Omar said.
During her speech at AIPAC, Pelosi said that “the full House came together to condemn the anti-Semitic myth of dual loyalty and all forms of bigotry.”
This was a jab at Omar, who said last month that American Jews have an “allegiance to a foreign country,” referring to Israel.
“In our democratic societies, we should welcome legitimate debate at how best to honor our values and to advance our priorities without questioning loyalty or patriotism,” Pelosi said.
“I simply declare that to be anti-Semitic is to be anti-American,” Pelosi added. “It has no place in our country.”
https://twitter.com/AlexThomasDC/status/1110526218770792449
Pelosi is not the only top Democrat taking aim at Omar at AIPAC.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 Democrat from Maryland, told the crowd on Sunday that he stands with Israel “proudly and unapologetically.”
“When someone accuses American supporters of Israel of dual loyalty, I say: Accuse me,” Hoyer said.
“So ladies and gentlemen, when someone accuses American supporters of dual loyalty I say: Accuse me,” he said. “Let’s have debates on policy instead of impugning the loyalty of Israel’s supporters.”
Hoyer also condemned the BDS movement, which was undoubtedly a shot at Omar.
“Together, we will defeat BDS because at its core, it is un-American,” Hoyer said.
There was like a 60 second standing ovation for steny hoyer’s left bashing and fearmongering pic.twitter.com/gf0zG44YDg
— naomi (@lachancenaomi27) March 24, 2019
Omar has only been a member of Congress for three months, and she has already come under fire several times for making anti-Semitic comments.
In January, Omar apologized for a 2012 tweet that said, “Israel has hypnotized the world.”
Last month, the Muslim lawmaker was forced to apologize for implying that U.S. lawmakers defending Israel are motivated by money.
During an event late last month in Washington, D.C., Omar described the pro-Israel lobby as a “political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country.”
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