House Speaker Nancy Pelosi dodged a question from a reporter Friday about Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar’s recent comments on the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
“I haven’t had the opportunity to speak with [Rep. Omar] to see the nature of her comment and, as is my custom with my colleagues, I call them in before I call them out so I’ll look forward to hearing from her,” Pelosi told reporters at a press conference.
“We tried to reach her. She was in transit,” the Speaker added, according to The Washington Examiner.
U.S. Rep Ilhan Omar (D-MN)speaks to media outside the US Captiol …(Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Omar drew the ire of many when she said “some people did something” in reference to the 9/11 terror attacks during a speech last month. She also claimed in the same speech that the attacks had been used to justify the mistreatment of Muslims.
The New York Post furthered the fight by publishing her quote Thursday with the infamous photo of the second plane going into the World Trade Center on the paper’s front page. (RELATED: Rashida Tlaib Defends Ilhan Omar’s 9/11 Comments: This is ‘Racist’)
Omar, who has been backed by many of her progressive colleagues, doubled down on her statement, claiming that the anger is misguided and used to incite violence against her.
She also tweeted on Friday, wondering aloud if former President George W. Bush was trivializing 9/11 with his famous “Bullhorn Speech” when he said, in part, “The people — and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon!”
“Was Bush downplaying the terrorist attack?” Omar asked on Twitter. “What if he was a Muslim?”
