Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., defended Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., after the New York Post published a scathing front page in reaction to Omar calling the 9/11 terrorists “some people [who] did something.”
“I’m not going to quote the NY Post’s horrifying, hateful cover,” said Ocasio-Cortez in a tweet Thursday. “Here’s 1 fact: @IlhanMN is a cosponsor of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund. She‘s done more for 9/11 families than the GOP who won’t even support healthcare for 1st responders- yet are happy to weaponize her faith.”
I’m not going to quote the NY Post’s horrifying, hateful cover.
Here’s 1 fact: @IlhanMN is a cosponsor of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund. She‘s done more for 9/11 families than the GOP who won’t even support healthcare for 1st responders- yet are happy to weaponize her faith.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 11, 2019
At issue is a speech Omar gave last month to a Muslim advocacy lobbying group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The Minnesota lawmaker referred to the terrorists as “some people” who “did something,” which was criticized as dismissal of the terrorist attacks that killed roughly 3,000 people in the Sept. 11, 2001.
The New York Post called out Omar with a Thursday print edition that shows a photo of the second American Airlines jet crashing into the World Trade Center. The headline of the front page read: “Rep. Ilhan Omar: 9/11 was ‘some people did something’” and “Here’s your something: 2,977 people dead by terrorism.”
The New York Post’s cover for Thursday calls out Ilhan Omar for trivializing the 9/11 terrorist attacks as “some people did something” pic.twitter.com/xToghXSGw5
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) April 11, 2019
Ocasio-Cortez also attacked Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, after he said Omar’s 9/11 comments were “unbelievable.”
“You refuse to cosponsor the 9/11 Victim’s Compensation Fund, yet have the audacity to drum resentment towards Ilhan w/completely out-of-context quotes,” said Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter Thursday. “In 2018, right-wing extremists were behind almost ALL US domestic terrorist killings. Why don’t you go do something about that?”
You refuse to cosponsor the 9/11 Victim’s Compensation Fund, yet have the audacity to drum resentment towards Ilhan w/completely out-of-context quotes.
In 2018, right-wing extremists were behind almost ALL US domestic terrorist killings. Why don’t you go do something about that? https://t.co/rkb92IxkKX
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 11, 2019
Omar pushed backed against criticism Wednesday by saying such rhetoric has led to death threats and called on members of both parties to condemn it.
This is dangerous incitement, given the death threats I face. I hope leaders of both parties will join me in condemning it.
My love and commitment to our country and that of my colleagues should never be in question. We are ALL Americans! pic.twitter.com/foTZMpiZKv
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) April 10, 2019
The Council on American-Islamic Relations has been accused of having links to terrorist organizations in the past.
