Members of the Democratic “Squad,” including Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), defended Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) on Thursday after a TV analyst slammed the congresswoman over her criticism of Israel and support for Palestinians.
Bowman claimed comments from CNN analyst Scott Jennings, a former official for then-President George W. Bush, on Wednesday night were “disgustingly racist and Islamophobic” after Jennings said Omar was a “public relations agent for Hamas.”
“Comments like this, especially on national news, are extremely dangerous and fuel anti-muslim hate crimes,” Bowman wrote on X on Thursday. “CNN should never have him on again! This hatred is unacceptable and cannot be normalized.”
Omar has been one of the strongest critics of Israel in its war with Hamas. The congresswoman has been calling for a ceasefire due to the high casualty count of Palestinian civilians, however, not out of support for the terrorist organization.
Other progressive House members, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Cori Bush (D-MO), also slammed Jennings and CNN for the commentary.
“How on earth is this kind of blatant Islamophobia so casually accepted without pushback?” Ocasio-Cortez posted to X. “This is shocking.”
Bush claimed the comments were “reminiscent of the Islamophobia” witnessed after the 9/11 terrorist attack in New York and urged the station to condemn the commentary.
Jennings’s comment came after an interview between Omar and anchor Abby Phillip, where the House Democrat claimed that she did not believe Israel sent negotiators to work out a ceasefire in Egypt.
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“It was Israel that refused to send negotiators to be at the table to carve out — you have to remember that a ceasefire is not something that happens magically,” Omar said.
Omar has not responded to Jennings’s statements publicly and did not return the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
