House Dems Postpone Vote Rebuking Omar Amid Pressure from Left
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other liberal allies stepped up their defense of the freshman Democrat.
By HEATHER CAYGLE, JOHN BRESNAHAN and SARAH FERRIS
Politico
03/05/2019 08:51 PM EST
A vote on a resolution condemning anti-Semitism in response to controversial comments by Rep. Ilhan Omar is set to slip past Wednesday amid intensifying pressure from the left both inside and outside the House Democratic Caucus.
An array of progressive groups declared their support for Omar, while both the Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Progressive Caucus — two of the most important factions among House Democrats — wanted more time to review the situation, lawmakers and aides said.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said in a closed-door meeting Tuesday that the vote would likely happen Thursday. They also said a draft resolution would be updated to include additional language rejecting anti-Muslim bias, although some Democratic sources believe that an entirely new document might be crafted.
What is clear, however, is that the furor over Omar's remarks — the second time in two months the Minnesota Democrat has made comments that were condemned by her own colleagues as anti-Semitic — is threatening to overshadow everything else happening in the House. House Democrats are set to pass a major anti-corruption package that deals with ethics and campaign finance reform initiatives and voting rights, but much of the attention is on Omar and how party leaders respond to her comments.
"We're still discussing it," Hoyer said on Tuesday. "The sentiment is that it ought to be broad-based. What we're against is hate, prejudice, bigotry, white supremacy, Islamophobia, and anti-Semitism."
"Yes, we're strongly against anti-Semitism, but we're strongly against prejudice directed at any group," Hoyer added.
“People are working through the draft. Not everyone has seen the draft,” added House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries. “I support the notion that we need to respond, and we’re figuring out the appropriate way to respond.”
Pelosi and Omar spoke over the weekend as staffers for Pelosi and other top Democrats began crafting the resolution.
The debate over if — and how — to reprimand Omar for saying pro-Israel advocates have “allegiance to a foreign country” has exposed sharp divides within the caucus along generational, religious and ideological lines.
The resolution is being taken up after senior Democrats, including some prominent Jewish lawmakers like New York Reps. Eliot Engel and Nita Lowey, have publicly criticized Omar and demanded she apologize.
"I condemn all forms of hatred," said Engel, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, a panel that Omar joined in January. "We're talking about anti-Semitism because my colleague said some very hurtful things. But I think we need to be aware all attempts to demean any group of people, whether it's Muslims or LGBT people. We have to be very strong and forceful in condemning it."
Engel did not endorse kicking Omar off the Foreign Affairs Committee, as Republicans have demanded.
"I don't think the Foreign Affairs Committee should be used as punishment for anybody," Engel told reporters. "But I do think [Omar] needs to understand what she said is very hurtful. Whether she is on the committee or not is not the issue."
An array of prominent liberal allies like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and outside progressive groups has rallied to the Minnesota Democrat's defense.
Senior Democrats in key caucuses were also pushing party leaders to pause floor action related to Omar, at least temporarily, so members have time to digest the content of the resolution. The CBC is set to discuss the measure at its weekly meeting Wednesday, while progressives are also expected to meet on the issue.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), co-chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, confirmed that some of her group's members have discussed the resolution with Democratic leaders "to make sure we can have caucus unity on whatever we propose."
Liberals had pushed for language condemning Islamophobia after Omar was targeted in a poster displayed at an event sponsored by the West Virginia GOP. It appeared to link her to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and included a photo of the World Trade Center buildings on fire and a photo of Omar below it.
The draft resolution doesn't mention Omar by name but is a direct response to her most recent comments and comes after a string of Israel-related remarks that her colleagues have claimed are anti-Semitic.
Ocasio-Cortez fired off a series of tweets throughout Tuesday, criticizing what she sees as hypocrisy in Democrats' planned reprimand of Omar. She argued that Democratic leaders should have addressed the issue privately before Omar was "called out" publicly.
Omar exited her Capitol Hill office on Tuesday night with her phone to her head and without taking questions from reporters.
A coalition of several Muslim and progressive Jewish organizations, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations and IfNotNow, is set to hold a news conference Wednesday morning outside of the Supreme Court in support of Omar. And the Progressive Change Campaign Committee sent out a mass fundraising email in support of Democratic lawmakers who are publicly defending Omar.
Other prominent progressive groups and activists, including Democracy for America, CodePink and Indivisible co-founder Leah Greenberg, underscored their support for Omar on Twitter, using the hashtag #StandWithIlhan.
"One of the things that is hurtful about the extent to which reprimand is sought of Ilhan is that no one seeks this level of reprimand when members make statements about Latinx + other communities (during the shutdown, a GOP member yelled 'Go back to Puerto Rico!' on the floor)," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.
Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri in January apologized to Rep. Tony Cárdenas for yelling “Go back to Puerto Rico!” in a tense situation on the House floor during the government shutdown. Smith, however, claimed the remark was not racially motivated and instead was referring to 30-member event in Puerto Rico that occurred during the shutdown, which was heavily covered by conservative media and even drew ire from President Donald Trump.
A senior Democratic aide countered Ocasio-Cortez's criticisms on Tuesday by saying a resolution on the House floor is far from the most severe punishment Democratic leaders could pursue. Republican critics of Omar have demanded she be pulled off of the Foreign Affairs Committee, something Democratic leaders have so far resisted. Some senior GOP lawmakers are even considering offering a censure motion against Omar.
But incidents like these do beg the question: where are the resolutions against homophobic statements? For anti-blackness? For xenophobia? For a member saying he’ll “send Obama home to Kenya?”
And the most productive end goal when we see it is to educate and heal.
It’s the difference btwn “calling in” before “calling out.”
"There’s clearly people that are calling for her to be removed from the committee," the Democratic aide said. "This resolution doesn’t mention her name even, this is pretty mild given that she’s a repeat offender."
Ocasio-Cortez, who has defended Omar in the past, said on Tuesday that she is not trying to tell people how to feel "or that their hurt is invalid," but questioned why there have not been "resolutions against homophobic statements? For anti-blackness? For xenophobia? For a member saying he’ll 'send Obama home to Kenya?'"
Ocasio-Cortez also called on addressing inappropriate remarks with someone privately before they are called out publicly.
"In this administration + all others, we should actively check antisemitism, anti-blackness, homophobia, racism, and all other forms of bigotry," she tweeted. "And the most productive end goal when we see it is to educate and heal. It’s the difference btwn 'calling in' before 'calling out.'"
Ocasio-Cortez claimed that the resolution falls under "calling out" and should be "one of the measure of last resort," and should only be done after "repeated attempts to 'call in' are disrespected or ignored."
"I believe that Ilhan, in her statement a few weeks ago, has demonstrated a willingness to listen+work w/impacted communities," the New York congresswoman tweeted.
Omar also received backlash last month after she questioned the political influence of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee by tweeting the phrase "It's all about the Benjamins baby." The congresswoman has since apologized for that statement.
After that remark, House Republicans last month pushed a resolution condemning anti-Semitism, although it did not specifically mention Omar. The measure was overwhelmingly approved on the floor, and it won Omar's vote as well.
Rebecca Morin contributed to this report.
By HEATHER CAYGLE, JOHN BRESNAHAN and SARAH FERRIS
Politico
03/05/2019 08:51 PM EST
A vote on a resolution condemning anti-Semitism in response to controversial comments by Rep. Ilhan Omar is set to slip past Wednesday amid intensifying pressure from the left both inside and outside the House Democratic Caucus.
An array of progressive groups declared their support for Omar, while both the Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Progressive Caucus — two of the most important factions among House Democrats — wanted more time to review the situation, lawmakers and aides said.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said in a closed-door meeting Tuesday that the vote would likely happen Thursday. They also said a draft resolution would be updated to include additional language rejecting anti-Muslim bias, although some Democratic sources believe that an entirely new document might be crafted.
What is clear, however, is that the furor over Omar's remarks — the second time in two months the Minnesota Democrat has made comments that were condemned by her own colleagues as anti-Semitic — is threatening to overshadow everything else happening in the House. House Democrats are set to pass a major anti-corruption package that deals with ethics and campaign finance reform initiatives and voting rights, but much of the attention is on Omar and how party leaders respond to her comments.
"We're still discussing it," Hoyer said on Tuesday. "The sentiment is that it ought to be broad-based. What we're against is hate, prejudice, bigotry, white supremacy, Islamophobia, and anti-Semitism."
"Yes, we're strongly against anti-Semitism, but we're strongly against prejudice directed at any group," Hoyer added.
“People are working through the draft. Not everyone has seen the draft,” added House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries. “I support the notion that we need to respond, and we’re figuring out the appropriate way to respond.”
Pelosi and Omar spoke over the weekend as staffers for Pelosi and other top Democrats began crafting the resolution.
The debate over if — and how — to reprimand Omar for saying pro-Israel advocates have “allegiance to a foreign country” has exposed sharp divides within the caucus along generational, religious and ideological lines.
The resolution is being taken up after senior Democrats, including some prominent Jewish lawmakers like New York Reps. Eliot Engel and Nita Lowey, have publicly criticized Omar and demanded she apologize.
"I condemn all forms of hatred," said Engel, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, a panel that Omar joined in January. "We're talking about anti-Semitism because my colleague said some very hurtful things. But I think we need to be aware all attempts to demean any group of people, whether it's Muslims or LGBT people. We have to be very strong and forceful in condemning it."
Engel did not endorse kicking Omar off the Foreign Affairs Committee, as Republicans have demanded.
"I don't think the Foreign Affairs Committee should be used as punishment for anybody," Engel told reporters. "But I do think [Omar] needs to understand what she said is very hurtful. Whether she is on the committee or not is not the issue."
An array of prominent liberal allies like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and outside progressive groups has rallied to the Minnesota Democrat's defense.
Senior Democrats in key caucuses were also pushing party leaders to pause floor action related to Omar, at least temporarily, so members have time to digest the content of the resolution. The CBC is set to discuss the measure at its weekly meeting Wednesday, while progressives are also expected to meet on the issue.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), co-chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, confirmed that some of her group's members have discussed the resolution with Democratic leaders "to make sure we can have caucus unity on whatever we propose."
Liberals had pushed for language condemning Islamophobia after Omar was targeted in a poster displayed at an event sponsored by the West Virginia GOP. It appeared to link her to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and included a photo of the World Trade Center buildings on fire and a photo of Omar below it.
The draft resolution doesn't mention Omar by name but is a direct response to her most recent comments and comes after a string of Israel-related remarks that her colleagues have claimed are anti-Semitic.
Ocasio-Cortez fired off a series of tweets throughout Tuesday, criticizing what she sees as hypocrisy in Democrats' planned reprimand of Omar. She argued that Democratic leaders should have addressed the issue privately before Omar was "called out" publicly.
Omar exited her Capitol Hill office on Tuesday night with her phone to her head and without taking questions from reporters.
A coalition of several Muslim and progressive Jewish organizations, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations and IfNotNow, is set to hold a news conference Wednesday morning outside of the Supreme Court in support of Omar. And the Progressive Change Campaign Committee sent out a mass fundraising email in support of Democratic lawmakers who are publicly defending Omar.
Other prominent progressive groups and activists, including Democracy for America, CodePink and Indivisible co-founder Leah Greenberg, underscored their support for Omar on Twitter, using the hashtag #StandWithIlhan.
"One of the things that is hurtful about the extent to which reprimand is sought of Ilhan is that no one seeks this level of reprimand when members make statements about Latinx + other communities (during the shutdown, a GOP member yelled 'Go back to Puerto Rico!' on the floor)," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.
Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri in January apologized to Rep. Tony Cárdenas for yelling “Go back to Puerto Rico!” in a tense situation on the House floor during the government shutdown. Smith, however, claimed the remark was not racially motivated and instead was referring to 30-member event in Puerto Rico that occurred during the shutdown, which was heavily covered by conservative media and even drew ire from President Donald Trump.
A senior Democratic aide countered Ocasio-Cortez's criticisms on Tuesday by saying a resolution on the House floor is far from the most severe punishment Democratic leaders could pursue. Republican critics of Omar have demanded she be pulled off of the Foreign Affairs Committee, something Democratic leaders have so far resisted. Some senior GOP lawmakers are even considering offering a censure motion against Omar.
But incidents like these do beg the question: where are the resolutions against homophobic statements? For anti-blackness? For xenophobia? For a member saying he’ll “send Obama home to Kenya?”
And the most productive end goal when we see it is to educate and heal.
It’s the difference btwn “calling in” before “calling out.”
"There’s clearly people that are calling for her to be removed from the committee," the Democratic aide said. "This resolution doesn’t mention her name even, this is pretty mild given that she’s a repeat offender."
Ocasio-Cortez, who has defended Omar in the past, said on Tuesday that she is not trying to tell people how to feel "or that their hurt is invalid," but questioned why there have not been "resolutions against homophobic statements? For anti-blackness? For xenophobia? For a member saying he’ll 'send Obama home to Kenya?'"
Ocasio-Cortez also called on addressing inappropriate remarks with someone privately before they are called out publicly.
"In this administration + all others, we should actively check antisemitism, anti-blackness, homophobia, racism, and all other forms of bigotry," she tweeted. "And the most productive end goal when we see it is to educate and heal. It’s the difference btwn 'calling in' before 'calling out.'"
Ocasio-Cortez claimed that the resolution falls under "calling out" and should be "one of the measure of last resort," and should only be done after "repeated attempts to 'call in' are disrespected or ignored."
"I believe that Ilhan, in her statement a few weeks ago, has demonstrated a willingness to listen+work w/impacted communities," the New York congresswoman tweeted.
Omar also received backlash last month after she questioned the political influence of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee by tweeting the phrase "It's all about the Benjamins baby." The congresswoman has since apologized for that statement.
After that remark, House Republicans last month pushed a resolution condemning anti-Semitism, although it did not specifically mention Omar. The measure was overwhelmingly approved on the floor, and it won Omar's vote as well.
Rebecca Morin contributed to this report.
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