Squad member Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) raged on the U.S. House floor Thursday after Republicans removed openly antisemitic Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Echoing sentiments already expressed by far-left Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Tlaib essentially accused Republicans of wrongfully targeting her. Tlaib even began to cry as she shouted until her time was up, she was repeatedly told so, and her mic was cut off.
“You are showing who you all are,” she screamed. I will not be silent. To congresswoman Omar, I am so sorry that our country is failing you today through this chamber. You belong on that committee.”
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Other squad members, Ayana Pressley and AOC, also spoke out in favor of Ilhan Omar while accusing Republicans of sexism, racism, and Islamophobia.
“Consistency? There is nothing consistent about the Republican Party’s continued attack except for racism and incitement of violence against women of color in this body,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
“I had a member of the Republican Caucus threaten my life and you all, and the Republican Caucus rewarded him with one of the most prestigious committee assignments in this Congress,” she added.
Omar, when defending herself, said that the debate about ousting her centers on “who gets to be an American, what opinions do we have to have to be counted as Americans.”
U.S. House of Representatives
“There is this idea that you are suspect if you are an immigrant, or if you are from certain parts of the world, or a certain skin tone, or a Muslim,” said Omar.
In a floor speech prior to the vote on whether to oust Omar, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) said that ousting the congresswoman, who has spoken unfavorably about Israel and its alleged hold over Congress, is not “about vengeance or retribution. It is about accountability.”
“No one who peddles in antisemitic activity, behavior, or language should have any right to serve on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which has an incredibly important role to play in partnering with our strongest ally, the state of Israel,” Lawler added.
