WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Representative Max Miller, who is one of the few Jewish Republicans in Congress, introduced a resolution to expel Representative Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, from a House committee following remarks past which he regards as anti-Semitic.
The Rocky River Republican introduced a resolution on Tuesday that would remove Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He says a series of controversial remarks from Omar should disqualify her from serving on the committee
“Whereas Representative Omar’s comments have brought dishonor to the House of Representatives: It is therefore now resolved that the following appointed member be, and is hereby removed from the following standing committee of the House of Representatives: Foreign Affairs Committee, says Omar’s resolve.
Miller’s effort would fulfill House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s promise to remove Omar from his post. His bill may not pass the entire House of Representatives, as several Republicans have said they will not support it.
This follows McCarthy’s removal of California Democrats Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell from the House Standing Special Committee on Intelligence, whose members are chosen by the president. Removal of a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee requires a vote of the House.
McCarthy argues that this past conduct of the three renders them unfit for committee service. Democrats have accused him of retaliating for their removal of Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene and Arizona Republican Paul Gosar from committees in 2021 for making comments advocating political violence.
Omar has repeatedly made public remarks that have been denounced as anti-Semitic, leading to past Republican censorship efforts. She was criticized for implying that a pro-Israel lobby group was buying lawmakers, accusing Israel of ‘terrorism’, ‘war crimes’ and ‘hypnotizing the world’, and saying that the US and Israel – just as Hamas and the Taliban were responsible for “unimaginable atrocities” and “crimes against humanity”.
Over the weekend, Omar told CNN that she “might have used words at the time that I didn’t understand were peddling anti-Semitism,” but pointed out that she was publicly apologized after it was brought to her attention. She said she continues to work with her colleagues to fight anti-Semitism.
She called the effort to remove her from the committee “politically motivated” and said some Republican congressmen “don’t believe that a Muslim, a refugee, an African should even be in Congress, let alone have the opportunity to serve in the Foreign Office”. business committee”.
She accused Republicans of double standards, noting that during a trip to Minnesota, former President Donald Trump spoke of Muslim and Somali refugees infiltrating the country, that Taylor Greene made Islamophobic remarks and that the Colorado Republican Representative Lauren Boebert suggested that Omar was a terrorist. .
“These people are okay with Islamophobia,” Omar said. “They are okay with trafficking anti-Semitism in their own way. They do not agree that a Muslim should have a voice in this committee.
Schiff told CNN that McCarthy was removing Democrats from their committee assignments because McCarthy needed votes from Taylor Greene and Gosar.
“He wants to retaliate for their removal,” Schiff said.
