Opinion

WEISS: The Media Never Worried About Steve Scalise, But They’re Gravely Concerned For Ilhan Omar

Kerem Yucel / AFP

Adam Weiss Contributor
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Members of the media are absolutely losing their minds about President Trump’s tweet calling out Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar. Where was the outrage over words when Republican Rep. Steve Scalise was shot during a congressional baseball game?

Trump tweeted a video in which Omar is heard during a recent speech before the Council on American-Islamic Relations describing the September 11th terrorist attack on the World Trade Center as “some people did something.” The video cut between her description and footage of the hijacked airplanes hitting the Twin Towers. The tweet contained the caption, “WE WILL NEVER FORGET.”

This led to a total meltdown from the media and pundits alike. The Congressional Black Caucus claimed the president was putting her “life at risk.” The Washington Post published an op-ed demanding that people “Just Say It: Trump’s Attacks on Ilhan Omar are Designed to Incite Hatred.” CNN’s Alisyn Camerota grilled Trump campaign adviser Marc Lotter demanding to know if Trump knows that he is “putting her life in danger.”

The pushback to defend Omar and condemn Trump was loud and swift.

While Omar should not be receiving death threats, we did not see nearly this level of condemnation in response to Omar’s repeated anti-Semitic language or her minimization of the September 11th terror attacks.

There was defense, and even praise, for Omar when she denigrated Israel and Jews by claiming that they exhibit “dual loyalty” and are buying Congress (“It’s all about the Benjamins baby”). She has also expressed support for the BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) Movement against Israel. Those who dared to call her out and stand against the anti-Semitism were branded as “racists” for condemning a Muslim Somali immigrant.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party has been actively radicalizing their base against the president, which has directly led to violence against his supporters, but there has been no breathless lectures from the media about their hostile rhetoric.

The media and liberal lawmakers have relentlessly painted Trump and his supporters as “racist,” “sexist,” “white supremacists,” and overall threats to democracy. This led to incidents such as the fiasco with Covington Catholic — where teenage high school students faced a slew of death threats, libel and slander for daring to wear a “red hat.”

We constantly hear tales of people being assaulted for wearing “Make America Great Again” hats or having their pro-Trump signs vandalized. The incidents seem endless at this point.

There was also the 2017 shooting of Steve Scalise.

Scalise, then the House majority whip, was practicing for the annual Congressional Baseball Game for Charity when he was shot by 66-year-old James Thomas Hodgkinson, a staunch Bernie Sanders supporter. Other victims included Crystal Griner, a U.S. Capitol Police officer assigned to protect Scalise; Zack Barth, a congressional aide; and Matt Mika, a Tyson Foods lobbyist. Thankfully, none of them were killed.

The FBI found a list of names, including those of Republican Congressmen Mo Brooks, Jeff Duncan and Trent Franks, in the shooter’s pocket.

Before the attack, Hodgkinson wrote on Facebook, “Trump is a Traitor. Trump Has Destroyed Our Democracy. It’s Time to Destroy Trump & Co.” His language was strikingly similar to what we hear daily from the media and the Democratic Party.

The media largely wrote Hodgkinson off as a crazy person with little discussion of how Democrats were radicalizing their base.

If we are going to talk about dangerous political rhetoric, perhaps it’s time to have that discussion.

Adam Weiss (@AdamMatthew) is the CEO of AMW PR, a New York political strategy and communications firm. His firm has represented Kimberly Guilfoyle, Judge Jeanine Pirro, Corey Lewandowski, David Bossie, Anthony Scaramucci and more.


The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of The Daily Caller.