The House of Representatives was supposed to vote on a resolution against anti-Semitism this week, as an indirect rebuke of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), who can't seem to stop saying anti-Israel things. Most recently she suggested that Americans with pro-Israel agenda have a "dual loyalty." But, after Omar protested that she was being singled out, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi agreed to have the resolution expanded to include anti-Muslim bias and other forms of hate.
Pelosi previewed the anti-hate resolution at her press conference on Thursday, which Democrats are expected to introduce soon, and took some questions about Omar. While the speaker was among the Democratic leaders who released a statement rebuking Omar for her controversial musings, on Thursday, Pelosi didn't go so far as to say the freshman lawmaker was anti-Semitic. Instead, she gave her the benefit of the doubt and suggested Omar didn't really know how harmful her words have been.
NEW: Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Rep. Ilhan Omar: "I don't think that the congresswoman perhaps appreciates the full weight of how it was heard by other people, although I don't believe it was intended in any anti-Semitic way." https://t.co/JQGNCG3tlF pic.twitter.com/JVuHrC5eOv
— ABC News (@ABC) March 7, 2019
In a CNN appearance last month, Omar also said she didn't see how her past tweets, such as how "Israel has hypnotized the world," would be offensive to Jewish people.
Pelosi added that their resolution should not specifically mention Omar.
"It's not about her, it's about these forms of hatred," the speaker said.
Republican leaders, meanwhile, say it's a no brainer and that Omar needs to be condemned for her language. At the very least, they say, she should be removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.