Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., praised the passage of a resolution condemning hate speech and bigotry that was brought to a vote in response to her comments that many interpreted as anti-Semitic.
“We are tremendously proud to be part of a body that has put forth a condemnation of all forms of bigotry including anti-Semitism, racism, and white supremacy,” Omar said in a joint statement with Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Andre Carson, D-Ind.
“At a time when extremism is on the rise, we must explicitly denounce religious intolerance of all kinds and acknowledge the pain felt by all communities. Our nation is having a difficult conversation and we believe this is great progress,” they said.
In the last month, Omar has implied some of her colleagues support Israel only because of political donations and suggested supporters of Israel are pushing for an “allegiance to a foreign country.”
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have viewed Omar’s comments as anti-Semitic.
The resolution, which Omar voted in favor of, did not single out the freshman congresswoman.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., a friend of Omar’s, described the matter as a learning experience.
“When we elect the most diverse Democratic caucus that we have in pretty much ever, it means that we have new communities at the table, new conversations that need to be had,” the New York congresswoman said, adding that “things came down” on Omar “a little too hard.”
