Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had a fiery fit as Republicans prepared to remove Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Ocasio-Cortez made the comments Thursday as lawmakers debated the question prior to the vote that removed Omar. The New York Democrat angrily described Omar’s removal as an “attack on women of color.”
“There is nothing consistent with the Republican Party’s continued attack, except for the racism and incitement of violence against women of color in this body. I had a member of the Republican caucus threaten my life and you all — and the Republican caucus — rewarded him with one of the most prestigious committee assignments in this Congress,” she said, referring to GOP Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar.
In Nov. 2021, Gosar posted an edited anime video that depicted Gosar killing her attacking President Joe Biden. He quietly removed the video two days after posting it, but House Democrats still voted to censure him over the post. (RELATED: Jean-Pierre Says Booting Ilhan Omar From Key Committee Is A ‘Political Stunt’)
“Don’t tell me this is about consistency, don’t tell me that this is about a condemnation of anti-Semitic remarks when you have a member of the Republican caucus who has talked about Jewish space lasers and an entire amount of tropes, and also elevated her to some of the highest committee assignments in this body,” Ocasio-Cortez continued, alluding to Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. “This is about targeting women of color in the United States of America. Don’t tell me, because I didn’t get a single apology when my life was threatened.”
House Republicans removed Omar for suggesting in 2019 that American support for Israel was purchased and that American Jews advocate for “allegiance to a foreign country.” House Democrats did not punish Omar for the remarks but did release a resolution soon after in which they condemned bigotry, including anti-Semitism.
Democratic Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib broke down in tears on the House floor over the removal of her fellow “Squad” member. She accused House Republicans who voted in favor of her removal of “hypocrisy” and told Omar, an immigrant from Somalia, that the U.S. “is failing” her.