House GOP Kicks Ilhan Omar off Foreign Affairs Committee
House Republicans have made good on their vow to strip Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) of her committee assignment.
On Thursday, the House voted 218 to 211 to remove Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Every Democrat voted against the move.
BREAKING: The House of Representatives votes to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee pic.twitter.com/Y4KDO5f2fk
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 2, 2023
Before the vote, the Minnesota Democrat said, “This debate today, it’s about who gets to be an American? What opinions do we get to have, do we have to have to be counted as American?”
“That is what this debate is about, Madam Speaker. There is this idea that you are suspect if you are an immigrant. Or if you are from a certain part of the world, of a certain skin tone, or a Muslim,” she continued.
Omar added, “Well, I am Muslim. I am an immigrant, and interestingly, from Africa. Is anyone surprised that I’m being targeted? Is anyone surprised that I am somehow deemed unworthy to speak about American foreign policy?”
Watch the video below:
Rep. Ilhan Omar speaks ahead of the vote to oust her from the Foreign Affairs Committee: "My leadership and voice will not be diminished if I'm not on this committee for one term. My voice will get louder and stronger…take your vote or not. I am here to stay." pic.twitter.com/9nJjHAGwi4
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) February 2, 2023
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told reporters before the vote, “Rep. Omar certainly has made mistakes. She has used antisemitic tropes that were clearly and unequivocally condemned by House Democrats.”
Hakeem Jeffries: “Rep. Omar certainly has made mistakes. She has used antisemitic tropes”
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) February 2, 2023
However, he claimed the move was “about political revenge.”
“She has indicated that she will learn from her mistakes and is working to build bridges. We believe in building bridges with a diverse community, including leaders right here in the United States Congress. Is Ilhan Omar perfect? No, none of us are,” Jeffries added.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) previously vowed to strip Omar from the committee for what he said are her past antisemitic comments.
Omar has apologized for her past remarks.
And during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday, she said, “I certainly did not or was not aware that the word ‘hypnotized’ was a trope.”
“I wasn’t aware of the fact that there are tropes about Jews and money. That has been a very enlightening part of this journey,” she added.
Last month, McCarthy also blocked Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) from serving on the House Intelligence Committee.
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