Congressional Black Caucus backs Ilhan Omar

The Congressional Black Caucus backed Rep. Ilhan Omar on Wednesday, more than a week after the Minnesota Democrat tweeted incendiary comments that Democrats and Republicans have said equated the U.S. and Israel with Hamas and the Taliban.

“Congresswoman Ilhan Omar is a valued Member of the Congressional Black Caucus Family, she represents a strong voice on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs,” a CBC statement said. “Furthermore, we appreciate her clarification of her recent remarks and find that this is another example of Republicans taking it out of context to shift the real attention from the abhorrent, disrespectful, and intemperate remarks of members of their own Conference.”

On June 7, Omar tweeted a video of her questioning Secretary of State Antony Blinken, posting: “We must have the same level of accountability and justice for all victims of crimes against humanity.”

“We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban,” Omar added. “I asked @SecBlinken where people are supposed to go for justice.”

After calls from fellow Democrats to clarify her statement, Omar said her conversation with Blinken was about “accountability for specific incidents” under investigation by the International Criminal Court. “I was in no way equating terrorist organizations with democratic countries with well-established judicial systems,” she said.

Republicans have pushed for Omar to be censured or removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. But it isn’t so simple for the GOP, with one of their own members known for incendiary and inflammatory rhetoric that has raised tensions within their conference.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has most recently come under fire after comments in which she compared Covid-19 regulations to the Holocaust. Greene apologized this week after touring the Holocaust Museum, telling reporters that her past comments about Jewish people and Nazi Germany were “offensive” and “hurtful,” adding that she was “truly sorry.”

Democrats have already moved to strip Greene from her committees, though many members say Greene's record of inflammatory rhetoric, which has also included endorsing violence against other members, does not compare to Omar's comments.

“[Omar] should not be mentioned in the same breath as Marjorie Taylor Greene, in my view,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), whose Congressional Progressive Caucus also released a statement of support for Omar this week.

Sarah Ferris contributed to this report.