Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, who was removed from her House committees earlier this year over past anti-Israel comments, will be delivering prepared remarks by video at an international religious freedom event on May 1, her spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s (USCIRF) 2023 Annual Report event “documents systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom that have occurred in the last year,” as well as providing Congress with recommendations for promoting religious liberty internationally, according to an earlier itinerary. The event was rescheduled from April 25 to May 1, with updated invites no longer listing the Minnesota congresswoman as a speaker, but a spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation that she would be giving her remarks virtually instead.
Omar was removed from her House Foreign Affairs committee assignment in February after members of Congress raised concerns about past anti-Israel comments. The congresswoman said at one point that Israel “hypnotized the world,” that the U.S.-Israel relationship was “all about the Benjamins,” and compared Israel and the U.S. to the terrorist organization Hamas.
Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida was also listed as a speaker during the event but Rubio’s Hispanic Media Director and Foreign Policy Communications Laura Ortiz told the Daily Caller News Foundation that he was also planning to send a “video message” in place of his speech.
“[L]ike previous years, Senator Rubio sent a video message for the event,” Ortiz said. “When it comes to policy issues he has been vocal on his disagreements with the Congresswoman.”
USCIRF did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
This article has been updated with comment from the office of Rep. Ilhan Omar.
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