No, Rep. Ilhan Omar didn't say 'Get rid of the Jews to end antisemitism' | Fact check

Andre Byik, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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The claim: CNN reported Rep. Ilhan Omar said 'get rid of the Jews to end antisemitism'

A May 3 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows an image of Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota speaking at a lectern as Sen. Bernie Sanders stands behind her.

A CNN chyron at the bottom of the image says, "Omar: 'Get rid of the Jews to end antisemitism.'"

The post's caption reads, "Congresswoman Ilhan Omar proposed a radical solution: ‘Antisemitism Wouldn’t Be A Problem If We Got Rid Of All The Jews.'"

The post was liked more than 1,600 times in a week.

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Our rating: Altered

The news chyron is fabricated, a CNN spokesperson said. The image originated on a satirical website.

Image originated as satire

Omar, a Democrat, has faced criticism for comments she's made about Israel, including comments that led to her removal from the Foreign Affairs Committee in 2023. But she did not make the comment shown in the Instagram post.

Emily Kuhn, a spokesperson for CNN, said the image is a fabrication.

The altered image comes from a May 24, 2021, article from The Babylon Bee, a satirical news website. The caption in the Instagram post includes phrasing used in the title and body of the article but makes no mention the image originated as satire.

It's an example of what could be called "stolen satire," where images created as satire and presented that way originally are reposted in a way that makes them appear to be legitimate news. As a result, readers of the second-generation post are misled, as was the case here.

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The image shows Omar flanked by fellow Democrats Sanders of Vermont and Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey at a news conference in 2019 when she introduced a plan to lower prescription drug prices.

The Instagram user who shared the image did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: CNN chyron about Rep. Ilhan Omar is fabricated | Fact check