CNN host Jake Tapper talked to a handful of House Democrats off the record who were upset with Ilhan Omar and her allies and believed that President Trump had beaten them in their war of words over the last week.
“The president won this one,” one House Democrat told Tapper. “What the president has done is politically brilliant. Pelosi was trying to marginalize these folks and the president has now identified the entire party with them.”
2/ “The president won this one,” said House Dem 1 of the Trump v Squad (AOC, Tlaib, Omar & Pressley) showdown. “What the president has done is politically brilliant. Pelosi was trying to marginalize these folks and the president has now identified the entire party with them.”
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) July 17, 2019
“The president’s words and actions speak for themselves. We need to focus on the issues that got them here: jobs, health care instead of the issues the president brings up deliberately. Anything that takes away from bread and butter issues is playing into his hands,” a second House Democrat told the CNN host.
4/ “…instead of the issues the president brings up deliberately. Anything that takes away from bread and butter issues is playing into his hands.”
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) July 17, 2019
Other House Democrats are conflicted about whether to defend Rep. Ilhan Omar and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s squad because of threats of challengers against moderate Democrats and some of their controversial rhetoric. One Democrat told Tapper they were upset that the president had a resolution condemning his “go back” remark but that the House Democrats could not even write a resolution “condemning anti-Semitism” by Omar.
“Everybody was completely outraged by what the president said,” a third lawmaker said. “And everybody thought it was appropriate to criticize him but this was the first time the House has taken action to criticize him in any way, We couldn’t even bring ourselves to have a resolution exclusively condemning anti-Semitism uttered by one of those members [Omar] but we leapt to their defense here.”
7/ “…but this was the *first* time the House has taken action to criticize him in any way, We couldn’t even bring ourselves to have a resolution exclusively condemning anti-Semitism uttered by one of those members” — Omar — “but we leapt to their defense here.”
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) July 17, 2019
House Democrats also pointed to a new resolution Omar and Rep. Rashida Tlaib introduced Tuesday in support of the boycott, divest, sanctions movement. The resolution compared boycotts of Israel to boycotts of Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and Imperial Japan.
“So we’ll hear a tirade of attacks on Israel from the same group,” the third Democratic lawmaker said about the resolution. “Hopefully they won’t be anti Semitic.”
A fourth Democrat added they were worried about the bill coming “from someone with a history of anti-Semitism. So yeah, it’s challenging.”
9/ “So we’ll hear a tirade of attacks on Israel from the same group,” said House Dem 3. “Hopefully they won’t be anti Semitic.”
House Dem 4 also brought up that bill coming “from someone with a history of anti-Semitism” — Omar — “So yeah it’s challenging.”
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) July 17, 2019
The lawmakers also singled out the “squad” for their divisiveness within the House Democratic Caucus.
“I can’t tell you the number of Members who are angry and annoyed about them criticizing us,” the third member said while the fourth member pointed out the group had said they were “against human rights” for providing humanitarian aid to the border. “We were there for them; they should stop attacking us,” the lawmaker added.
11/ Others noted that this week the House Democratic Caucus stood by a group that is not perceived as standing by them.
“I can’t tell you the number of Members who are angry and annoyed about them criticizing us,” said House Dem 3.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) July 17, 2019
12/ AOC, in particular “gives her chief of staff license to get candidates to run against her colleagues and to go after them on social media. It makes people’s skin crawl,” said House Dem 3.
House Dem 4 summed it up: “We were there for them; they should stop attacking us.”
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) July 17, 2019
The lawmakers frustration comes after two weeks of the liberal “squad” fighting separately with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Trump.
The feud started at the beginning of the month with Pelosi saying Omar, Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib, and Rep. Ayanna Pressley were only “four people” in the Democratic caucus.
Ocasio-Cortez snapped back suggesting Pelosi was racist for “singling out” women of color before clarifying that the California Democrat was “absolutely not” racist.
On Sunday, Trump jumped into the fight by saying the four congresswomen should “go back” to their home countries.
So interesting to see “Progressive” Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly……
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 14, 2019
….it is done. These places need your help badly, you can’t leave fast enough. I’m sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 14, 2019
The congresswomen responded by holding a press conference where they accused Trump of being racist and supporting the agenda of white nationalists.
Trump held a rally Wednesday where he railed against Omar while the crowd chanted “send her back.”
