Vice President Mike Pence on Friday renewed his call for Democratic leadership to strip freshman lawmaker Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., of her seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
“Ilhan Omar has made statements … anti-semetic comments … Statements against our most cherished ally: Israel … that ought to be rejected by every American,” Pence said during an interview with “Fox and Friends.” “And frankly the fact that very recently she has been trying to blame the United States of America for the deprivation and poverty brought on by the dictatorship in Venezuela.”
Omar first drew the ire of Republicans on Capitol Hill and political allies of President Trump’s administration when she tweeted her disdain for a pro-Israel influence in Congress.
She later apologized for those remarks, which sparked a resolution from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., condemning “hate in all forms” — though it did not mention Omar by name.
[Opinion: Ilhan Omar’s nonapology apology]
.@VP says @IlhanMN “ought to be condemned by every American.”
“… Omar has no place on the house foreign affairs committee and the Democratic leadership ought to remove her.” pic.twitter.com/g8V0yb3xSU
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) May 10, 2019
More recently, Omar blamed U.S. policy toward Venezuela for the ongoing humanitarian crisis in that country, telling left-leaning news organization Democracy Now : “A lot of the policies that we have put in place has kind of helped lead the devastation in Venezuela. And we’ve sort of set the stage for where we’re arriving today.”
Omar was elected to Congress as part of the so-called blue wave last November that placed a historic amount of women and women of color in the House of Representatives — giving Democrats the majority back in that chamber.
Along with freshmen allies like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Omar’s progressive stances on the economy, social issues, and foreign policy have given Trump and his allies fodder for the 2020 election cycle.
President Trump himself has shown little restraint in blasting Omar and her fiery rhetoric, saying on several occasions she “has a way about her” that is “very unpatriotic.”
Speaking at an event in Minnesota this week, Pence alluded to Omar’s comments costing her the seat she holds in Congress.
“The people of Minnesota will decide whether or not she remains in Congress,” Pence said. “Congresswoman Omar has no place on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Democratic leadership out to remove her.”
