Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar pushed back on accusations that she is anti-Semitic during an interview with CBS’s Gayle King that aired on Wednesday morning.
King interviewed Omar along with Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, on their ongoing feud with President Trump that reached new levels this week when the president told them they could “go back” to their home countries if they aren’t happy with the United States.
“Often times there are things that you might say, might not hold weight for you, but to someone else, right, the way that we hear and consume information is very different than the next person might,” Omar said, after being asked about previous remarks that many have labeled anti-Semitic.
“So you don’t regret your words either?” King asked.
Omar answered, “I do not. But I’m grateful for the opportunity to really learn how my words make people feel, and have taken every single opportunity I’ve gotten to make sure that people understood that I apologize for it.”
“Would you like to make it clear that you are not anti-Semitic?” King followed up.
“Oh, certainly not,” the freshman congresswoman countered. “Nothing I said, at least to me, was meant for that purpose.”
Accusations of anti-Semitism have dogged Omar predating her time in Congress. Back in 2012, she accused Israel of “hypnotizing the world” and later defended the remarks earlier this year until she ultimately apologized. Omar then got in hot water for alleging that members of Congress support Israel for financial gain and that they have a dual “allegiance” to Israel.
Ultimately, the House passed a watered-down resolution condemning all bigotry despite the fact that her controversial comments initiated the resolution.
Trump claimed that Omar “says horrible things about Israel, hates Israel, hates Jews, it’s very simple,” during a Monday event during which he escalated the fight.
