Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) has made it clear she isn’t going anywhere after Alabama’s Republican Party signed a resolution over the weekend urging its congressional delegation to boot the freshman Democrat from office.
As reported by Al.com, the state’s GOP approved a resolution to kick start the process of ousting Omar from the House of Representatives during a recent summer retreat in Auburn. The decision, introduced by state Rep. Tommy Hanes, got the stamp of approval from committee members on Saturday.
Rep. Ilhan Omar has remained unbothered by a call from Alabama Republicans to have her removed from Congress. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The nine-page document highlights Omar’s “disturbing record of using of anti-Semitic language” in her criticism of issues tied to U.S.-Israeli relations and condemns the lawmaker’s outward support of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement directed at the Jewish state over human rights violations in its treatment of Palestinians in the occupied territories.
Alabama Republicans further accused Omar, 37, of engaging in “rhetoric that runs counter to American values and patriotism.” Earlier this year, the Somali-American lawmaker faced heat from both sides of the political aisle after her tweets suggesting U.S. lawmakers’ support for Israel was “all about the Benjamins,” a quip many considered to be anti-Semitic. House Democrats would later pass a resolution to censure her comments and other forms of hate speech.
Interestingly, lawmakers’ response to Trump’s explicit statements last week that American Jews have dual loyalties — “If you vote for a Democrat, you’re very, very disloyal to Israel and the Jewish people” — was muted in comparison to their outcry over Omar’s Twitter remarks. Omar’s “Benjamins” quip was condemned as insinuating an “ancient anti-Semitic trope” that Jewish people are loyal to Jews or Israel first and their nation second.
The Alabama GOP hopes to take things against Omar a step further, however, and wants Omar out of public office completely.
“Therefore, be it resolved that the Alabama Republican Party urges its
elected congressional delegation to proceed with the expulsion process
in accordance to Article 1, Section 5 of the U.S. Constitution to expel Rep. Ilhan Omar from the United States House of Representatives,” their resolution reads.
Omar responded to the Alabama GOP’s efforts in a cutting weet Tuesday, underscoring how state Republicans had nominated accused child predator Roy Moore for the Senate back in 2017.
Sorry, @ALGOPHQ, but this is a representative democracy.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) August 27, 2019
I was elected with 78% of the vote by the people of Minnesota's 5th District, not the Alabama Republican Party.
If you want to clean up politics, maybe don’t nominate an accused child molester as your Senate candidate? https://t.co/r9NvsZKRUw
“Sorry, @ALGOPHQ, but this is a representative democracy,” she wrote. “I was elected with 78% of the vote by the people of Minnesota’s 5th District, not the Alabama Republican Party. If you want to clean up politics, maybe don’t nominate an accused child molester as your Senate candidate?”
The epic clapback was cheered by the congresswoman’s many supporters.
“Ilhan bringin’ the HEAT!” one user commented.
“HA!! Love you Ilhan!!” another chimed in. “Don’t worry about my states simple minded resolution They haven’t figured out how to spell your name yet.”
Another thanked Omar for her “courage in standing up for your convictions.”
USA TODAY pointed out that Alabama’s conservatives have a long shot at ousting Omar. With Republicans controlling just 197 seats out of all 435 in the Democratic-controlled House, their chances of expelling the politician are slim to none.
