Freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar apologized on Monday for a series of anti-Semitic tweets she had published yesterday, but still argued that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s ongoing effort to lobby Congress is “problematic.”
“Anti-Semitism is real and I am grateful for Jewish Allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes,” wrote Omar, D-Minn., in statement she released on Twitter. “My intention is never to offend my constituents or Jewish Americans as a whole.”
“We have to always be willing to step back and think through criticism, just as I expect people to hear me when others attack me for my identity,” she added. “This is why I unequivocally apologize.”
But Omar said she still has problems with AIPAC lobbying, and equated AIPAC with other industry lobbies that Democrats generally oppose.
“At the same time, I reaffirm the problematic role of lobbyists in our politics, whether it be AIPAC, the NRA or the fossil fuel industry,” she said. “It’s gone on too long and we must be willing to address it.”
Omar angered lawmakers in both parties when she responded to Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s threat to take action against her for anti-Israel stances by tweeting, “It’s all about the Benjamins baby.”
When pressed on who she thought was paying American politicians to be pro-Israel, Omar tweeted back “AIPAC!”
Republican leaders immediately called upon Omar to apologize for her assertion that Israel was buying off American politicians. “Anti-Semitic tropes have no place in the halls of Congress. It is dangerous for Democrat leadership to stay silent on this reckless language,” said McCarthy, R-Calif.
Democratic congressional leaders released a joint statement condemning Omar. “Anti-Semitism must be called out, confronted and condemned whenever it is encountered, without exceptions,” they wrote in their statement.
[Related: Pelosi demands Ilhan Omar apologize for anti-Semitic tweets]
