President Donald Trump dismissed an attack against Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), who was sprayed with an unknown substance by an attendee of her town hall event Tuesday night in Minneapolis.
When asked by an ABC News reporter whether he had seen the video of the incident, Trump replied he had not and even suggested the congresswoman may have staged the assault herself.
“No. I don’t think about her. I think she’s a fraud. I really don’t think about that. She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her,” he said.
The reporter pressed for a second time, drawing another cavalier response from the president.
“I haven’t seen it. No, no. I hope I don’t have to bother,” he added.
On Monday, the Department of Justice launched an investigation into Omar over her alleged involvement in widespread fraud involving social services programs in Minnesota and whether she benefited from said fraud. Trump has sought to tie the Somali-born lawmaker to the scandal currently plaguing the state.
Among the federal personnel deployed to Minnesota are immigration enforcement officers, who have drawn criticism in recent weeks for two high-profile shootings of American citizens in Minneapolis.
At her town hall, Omar lambasted the immigration operation in her state and called on Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to resign in the wake of the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Otherwise, Omar said, Noem should face impeachment.
This was the moment she was rushed by a man, who said Noem is “not resigning” while spraying Omar with some type of liquid from a syringe. The contents of the substance remain unclear.
Omar briefly rushed toward the man as a security guard tackled the attacker, after which she then retreated to the podium. The man was then escorted out of the room.
The Minnesota Democrat was not injured, and she insisted on continuing her speech after the incident.
“Here is the reality that people like this ugly man don’t understand: We are Minnesota strong, and we will stay resilient in the face of whatever they might throw at us,” she said in the video, drawing applause from the crowd.
MAN SPRAYS ILHAN OMAR WITH UNKNOWN SUBSTANCE AT MINNEAPOLIS TOWN HALL EVENT
The suspect, identified as 55-year-old Anthony James Kazmierczak, was arrested on suspicion of third-degree assault. He has not been charged yet. U.S. Capitol Police said the man would face the “most serious charges” for assaulting a member of Congress.
Omar revealed she was “Ok” and vowed not to cower in the face of intimidation.
