Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) had some thoughts Thursday morning on the news that House Democrats were struggling to agree on a resolution to condemn anti-Semitism. The idea for a resolution came after controversial remarks by freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) which many found to be anti-Semitic.
“I took for granted as a result House Democrats would at least, at least make good on their plan to symbolically condemn anti-Semitism,” Sen. McConnell said on the Senate floor.
“Even as I called for the House Democrats to do more and pass substantive foreign policy legislation the Senate sent them weeks ago,” he continued, “I at least assumed a few pages of symbolism was not too much to ask for but alas, I spoke too soon.”
“The House has put off consideration of a resolution to condemn anti-Semitism,” he said, speaking just prior to the Democrats’ announcement to bring a broader anti-hate resolution to the floor Thursday.
“Apparently within the Speaker’s new, far-left Democratic majority even a symbolic, symbolic resolution condemning anti-Semitism seems to be a bridge too far,” he said, adding. “I would let this speak for itself.”
The resolution was planned by top Democrats after Omar’s most recent remarks in which she spoke “about the political influence in this country that says it is okay for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country,” in reference to Israel. Omar has also had to apologize for past comments that were also widely interpreted as anti-Semitic.
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Her remarks were criticized by fellow Democrats and the Anti-Defamation League wrote a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) explaining that “accusing Jews of having allegiance to a foreign government has long been a vile anti-Semitic slur that has been used to harass, marginalize, and persecute the Jewish people for centuries.”
However, the resolution split the Democrats as some of the far-left members of the party, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), came to Omar’s defense and questioned why there was a resolution condemning anti-Semitism but not condemning other forms of prejudice.
The resolution, which never directly named Omar, will be brought to the floor Thursday and will be condemning “all forms of hatred” including anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and white supremacy.
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