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Ocasio-Cortez Invokes Holocaust To Defend Ilhan Omar

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Virginia Kruta Associate Editor
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Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez invoked the Holocaust to defend Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar on Friday.

“Members of Congress have a duty to respond to the President’s explicit attack today,” she tweeted. “@IlhanMN’s life is in danger. For our colleagues to be silent is to be complicit in the outright, dangerous targeting of a member of Congress.”

Ocasio-Cortez then shared a poem written by Lutheran Pastor — and early Nazi supporter — Martin Niemöller, who was later imprisoned for speaking out against Hitler.

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.

Ocasio-Cortez was responding to a video shared just hours earlier by President Donald Trump, which contrasted Omar’s recent comments with footage of the 9/11 terror attacks. (RELATED: Trump Tweets Video Of Omar’s Comments About 9/11)

In the video, the freshman congresswoman lamented what she claimed was the poor treatment of Muslims in America after the 9/11 attacks, when “some people did something,” as she said.

Omar faced a fair amount of backlash for that and for other comments that appeared to make light of terrorism or were perceived as anti-Semitic.

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