Democratic New York Rep. Jerry Nadler condemned his Democratic colleague Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar on Monday for claiming Republicans’ support for Israel is bought by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
“It is deeply disappointing and disturbing to hear Rep. Ilhan Omar’s choice of words in her exchange with a journalist yesterday wherein she appears to traffic in old anti-semitic tropes about Jews and money,” Nadler said in a statement. “Her words are deeply hurtful and offensive, particularly as they build on previous comments she made about Jews ‘hypnotizing’ the world in support of Israel — another old trope born of hate-filled texts like the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.”
Powerful Judiciary Chair @RepJerryNadler slams fellow Dem @IlhanMN over her comments about Jews: “It is deeply disappointing and disturbing to hear Representative Ilhan Omar’s (MN) choice of words… wherein she appears to traffic in old anti-Semitic tropes about Jews and money.” pic.twitter.com/iETe1tT8aG
— Scott Wong (@scottwongDC) February 11, 2019
Omar is facing massive backlash after she quote-tweeted a link to an article by Haaretz where House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy threatened punishment against Omar and Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, America’s first two Muslim congresswomen; Omar and Tlaib have been embroiled in allegations of anti-Semitism. (RELATED: America’s First Two Muslim Congresswomen Officially Endorse Anti-Israel Legislation)
Omar first commented on the tweet, saying “It’s all about the Benjamins baby,” and after she was pressed to clarify who she was referring to, she tweeted “AIPAC!”
The comments received swift condemnation from Congress members on both sides of the aisle, including from Nadler, a high-ranking Democrat who chairs the House Judiciary Committee.
“While of course our nation’s leaders are to debate the relative influence of a particular organization on our country’s policy-making process … there is an expectation of our leaders — particularly those with a demonstrated commitment to the cause of justice and equality — that they would be extremely careful not to treat into the waters of anti-Semitism or any other form of prejudice or hate,” Nadler continued. “Rep. Omar failed that test of leadership with these comments.”
“In this fragile moment in our nation’s history, we must all redouble our efforts to engage in policy debates in ways that respect the dignity and humanity of all people,” he said. “The strong bi-partisan support of Israel in this country is a hallmark of our nation’s commitment to the ideals of democracy and self-determination.” (RELATED: Whitaker Tells Judiciary Chairman Nadler His 5 Minutes Are Up — The Crowd Reacts)
While Omar has been in office for less than two months, she has been surrounded by numerous controversies. The freshman congresswoman defended anti-
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