On Monday last week, several news outlets (including The Daily Wire) reported that Democrats in Minnesota are considering recruiting a serious primary challenger to Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), even though she’s only been in the office three months. Earlier This week, CNN added to the rumor mill, reporting that Omar’s constituents — even those who share her background and her faith — are uneasy with Omar’s rhetoric and may be open to considering other options.
The Hill kicked off reports last week that Minnesota Democrats were seeking a serious primary challenger for Omar, particularly local Jewish Democrats who have been shocked and offended by Omar’s blatantly anti-Semitic comments since assuming office, accusing her colleagues and others of having “dual loyalty” and openly claiming they are the ones backstabbing to both the United States and Israel — an anti-Semitic smear — and accusing American politicians of getting rich taking money from pro-Israel lobbying group, AIPAC.
“There’s literally definitely some buzz going on around about it, but it’s more a buzz of is anyone talking about finding someone to run against her than it is anyone saying they’re going to run against her or contemplate it. There’s definitely talk about people wanting someone to run against her,” a state senator in Omar’s home district told the Washington, D.C.-based outlet.
Last weekend, the news seemed to hit home with Ilhan Omar. President Donald Trump retweeted a story about Omar’s political troubles, and Omar responded by accusing the president of trying to undermine her presence in Congress sparking rumors that Trump was been racial , even though her real trouble is with her own party and herself in particular .
“You can’t Muslim ban us from Congress!” the Minnesota freshman tweeted.
“Omar Jamal, Steve Hunegs, Mohamed Ahmed and Avi Olitzky agree on the characterization of language Omar used. When Omar talked about Israel ‘hypnotizing’ the world, they said it was anti-Semitic,” CNN reported. “And when she questioned whether American lawmakers and lobbyists had loyalty to Israel, they said it was anti-Semitic. Local leaders want her to understand why her words were causing so much pain and unrest.”
“(When you are elected,) you’re supposed to bring people together, you’re supposed to create a sense of unity instead of farther dividing them and pitting one group against the other,” Jamal said in the interview.
“I speak as a friend of Israel and a brother to the Palestinians by faith,” Jamal continued. “We believe in Palestinian rights and freedoms, but we will not do it denigrating our Jewish community.”
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