Trump: Ilhan Omar's anti-Semitism "a dark day for Israel"

A dark day for the Democrats, surely. A dark day for Minnesota too, for that matter, and maybe for the US. But does Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) pattern of anti-Semitic speech — getting firmly established in her first two months on the job — represent “a dark day for Israel,” as Donald Trump declared on Twitter overnight?

Advertisement

Maybe only if Nancy Pelosi keeps Omar on the one House panel that might impact US policy toward its best ally in the Middle East:

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1102789320707108864

For those keeping score in the Omar Sweepstakes, the offense this time comes from Omar’s accusation that AIPAC supporters have divided loyalties. This doesn’t refer to Omar’s previous accusation that support for Israel was “all about the Benjamins,” by which she didn’t mean one of the twelve tribes. Omar even doubled down on the divided-loyalty argument over the weekend.

Nancy Pelosi allowed a condemnation resolution to pass the last time Omar aired her bigotry in public and got her to issue an apology for the offense. This time, Republicans want a more substantial consequence for Minnesota’s embarrassment in the House. They want Pelosi to remove her from her committee assignment on Foreign Relations:

The House is expected to vote Wednesday on a resolution drafted by Pelosi and other Democratic leaders that would condemn anti-Semitism, though a draft measure does not single Omar out.

While Democrats have not backed down from calling out and criticizing their colleague, Republicans have argued that greater retribution is necessary. GOP legislators have followed the lead of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), demanding she be removed from the Foreign Affairs Committee and comparing her remarks to racist comments by Iowa GOP Rep. Steve King, whose embrace of white supremacist rhetoric led to him being stripped of his committee assignments earlier this year.

Omar, who is one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress, has not shied from her most recent comments in the same way she did last month when she offered an apology and pledged to engage in a conversation about anti-Semitic tropes with her colleagues.

Advertisement

That’s why Trump jumped into the fray overnight. Whether or not one appreciates Trump’s Twitter contributions, they certainly do shine a light on the targets Trump chooses. Usually those are Trump’s own personal bêtes noires, lately mostly House Democrats looking to probe every corner of his life. Trump wasn’t shy about that overnight either, accusing them of McCarthyism:

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1102778414304555008

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1102920338529288193

Omar makes for a more interesting target. Other than being an extremist Democrat, there isn’t anything personal between Omar and Trump, at least not yet. She’s a backbencher, someone with no particular authority or power to make Trump’s life miserable, which is usually his threshold for attention. If he’s singling out Omar, it’s for a reason — and that reason is to use Omar’s anti-Semitism as a hammer against Pelosi and other House Democrat leaders who refuse to punish her for her hatred.

Omar should never have been given the Foreign Relations assignment in the first place. Republicans tried to warn Democrats two months ago to no avail.  Pelosi should have removed Omar from the committee after her disgraceful conduct with Elliot Abrams a month ago. If Pelosi doesn’t remove Omar now, it will amount to a tacit endorsement of having her poisonous anti-Semitism as part of the Democrats’ foreign-policy portfolio.

Advertisement

Trump’s just making sure everyone notices it, and keeping that pressure on Pelosi. It’s more strategic than many of Trump’s tweets, and that should not go unnoticed nor unheeded.

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Trending on HotAir Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement