The rabidly anti-Semitic comments that Omar never made — along with the equally fictitious Jew hatred of her allies in the so-called Squad — have swiftly become a load-bearing myth in US politics, holding up the starry heavens alongside troop-spitting hippies, death panels, and welfare queens.

At a rally in North Carolina last week, President Trump made hatred for Omar deliciously righteous by accusing her of vile anti-Semitism. He also falsely claimed she married her brother for immigration fraud and supports al-Qaeda, leading to “send her back” chants from the assembled mob.

For Republicans wishing to distance themselves from the ugliest side of the MAGA crowd, Omar’s anti-Semitism, however fictional, is an indispensable opportunity for triangulation. Yes, the “send her back” chant may have been a mistake, they said, but on the other hand, this Muslim woman and her young coven of leftist women of color are anti-Semites. We can’t allow one to let us lose sight of the other.