Democrats on Wednesday demanded CNN apologize and denounce the allegedly “Islamaphobic” remark made on air about Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar.
CNN commentator Scott Jennings called Omar “a public relations agent for Hamas” while discussing her pledge to vote for President Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential election, angering many Democratic organizations and members of Congress.
Omar apparently suggested in a speech that she aims to protect Somali interests first, and allegedly did not mention her support for the U.S., according to a translation of her speech shared on Twitter by Ambassador Rhoda J. Elmi, the deputy minister of Foreign Affairs of Somaliland. The congresswoman, who presented the speech in Somali, appeared to say she was “Somali first, Muslim second” and that she was “here to protect the interests of Somalia from inside the U.S. system.”
“While I am in Congress, no one will take Somalia’s sea. The United States will not back others to rob us. So, do not lose sleep over that,” Omar also allegedly said, Newsweek reported.
Jennings criticized Omar’s support for Hamas during the Tuesday night segment.
“I am surprised that in the year of our Lord 2024, there is a public relations agent for Hamas living in the United States Congress,” Jennings said during a Tuesday evening panel. “The reason Israel is not at that meeting is because Hamas will not provide a list of the living hostages. I didn’t hear a word, a word of concern for the hostages. You know, on ceasefire, she said ‘Don’t happen magically.’ Well you know there was a ceasefire in place on October the 6th, and who broke it on October 7? I cannot believe, honestly, what I heard out of that interview. What I want are for those hostages to come home and I want somebody out there to show just a little bit of remorse that Hamas broke the ceasefire, raped and murdered horrifically women, all kinds of people. That’s it. How about some concern for those folks?”
Democrats including members of the “Squad” raged against his remarks about Omar, who recently said she is “Somalian first.”
“How on earth is this kind of blatant Islamophobia so casually accepted without pushback? This is shocking,” Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said in a Wednesday night tweet. (RELATED: Ron DeSantis Calls For Ilhan Omar To Be Expelled From Congress, Denautralized And Deported)
How on earth is this kind of blatant Islamophobia so casually accepted without pushback? This is shocking. https://t.co/ENMPOMIGID
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 14, 2024
Democratic Missouri Rep. Cori Bush called Jennings’ remarks “anti-Muslim bigotry” and called on CNN to “denounce” it.”
“Scott Jennings’ comments are reminiscent of the anti-Muslim bigotry we saw in the George Bush post-9/11 era. It is disgusting and must not be normalized. CNN should denounce this hateful, dangerous and blatant Islamophobia immediately,” she said.
Scott Jennings’ comments are reminiscent of the anti-Muslim bigotry we saw in the George Bush post-9/11 era.
It is disgusting and must not be normalized. CNN should denounce this hateful, dangerous and blatant Islamophobia immediately. https://t.co/RVOBTm7u8Z
— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) March 14, 2024
“Blatant Islamophobia has no place in our society — let alone on primetime TV,” Democratic Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley said. “It’s dangerous, unacceptable, and cannot be normalized. Got your back, @IlhanMN.
Blatant Islamophobia has no place in our society — let alone on primetime TV.
It’s dangerous, unacceptable, and cannot be normalized.
Got your back, @IlhanMN. https://t.co/Q2evYTdDBD
— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) March 14, 2024
“Disgusting islamophobic & racist comments with no correction or condemnation from @CNN. @CNN should be issuing an apology to @IlhanMN and @ScottJenningsKY shouldn’t have a job. The normalization of islamophobia like this on CNN is what leads to anti-Muslim hate crimes,” political action committee Justice Democrats said.
Disgusting islamophobic & racist comments with no correction or condemnation from @CNN.@CNN should be issuing an apology to @IlhanMN and @ScottJenningsKY shouldn’t have a job.
The normalization of islamophobia like this on CNN is what leads to anti-Muslim hate crimes. https://t.co/u70yvPTuaY
— Justice Democrats (@justicedems) March 13, 2024
Justice Democrats’ senior strategist Waleed Shahid said Jennings is “reverting to one of the oldest Islamophobic tropes in the book, which is to allege that Muslim Americans are secretly terrorist sympathizers.”
“People have been fired from CNN for much less,” he added.
Scott Jennings is reverting to one of the oldest Islamophobic tropes in the book, which is to allege that Muslim Americans are secretly terrorist sympathizers. People have been fired from CNN for much less. https://t.co/yBTmsb8tKp
— Waleed Shahid 🪬 (@_waleedshahid) March 14, 2024
“.@CNN must condemn Scott Jennings Islamophobic remarks, which fuel attacks on @IlhanMN & the MN Muslim community, leading the nation in mosque attacks. It’s crucial to reprimand Jennings and apologize for spreading such hate,” CAIR Minnesota wrote. “#stop #Islamophobia.”
.@CNN must condemn Scott Jennings Islamophobic remarks, which fuel attacks on @IlhanMN & the MN Muslim community, leading the nation in mosque attacks. It’s crucial to reprimand Jennings and apologize for spreading such hate. #stop #Islamophobia https://t.co/R24KJXroB3
— CAIR MN (@CAIRMN) March 14, 2024
Omar has further called on Israel to halt its military operation in Gaza after being brutally attacked by Hamas terrorists on October 7. She falsely pushed Hamas propaganda by claiming Israel bombed the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza.
“Bombing a hospital is among the gravest of war crimes,” Omar said. “The IDF reportedly blowing up one of the few places the injured and wounded can seek medical treatment and shelter during a war is horrific. [President Biden] needs to push for an immediate ceasefire to end this slaughter.”
Bombing a hospital is among the gravest of war crimes. The IDF reportedly blowing up one of the few places the injured and wounded can seek medical treatment and shelter during a war is horrific.@POTUS needs to push for an immediate ceasefire to end this slaughter. https://t.co/dPJ48dyDe8
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) October 17, 2023
She later backtracked those remarks once reports circulated that Israeli and U.S. intelligence reportedly found it was most likely a Hamas-aligned rocket that caused the explosion.
“Our office cited an AP report yesterday that the IDF had hit a Baptist hospital in Gaza. Since then, the IDF denied responsibility and the US intelligence assessment is that this was not done by Israel,” Omar said the following day. “It is a reminder that information is often unreliable and disputed in the fog of war (especially on Twitter where misinformation is rampant). We all have a responsibility to ensure information we are sharing is from credible sources and to acknowledge as new reports come in.”
It is a reminder that information is often unreliable and disputed in the fog of war (especially on Twitter where misinformation is rampant). We all have a responsibility to ensure information we are sharing is from credible sources and to acknowledge as new reports come in.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) October 19, 2023
Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene introduced a resolution in February to censure Omar for “admitting she’s working as a foreign agent for a foreign country.”
“Censure is not far enough. If it were up to me, we would expel Ilhan Omar and deport her out of the United States. Her comments are absolutely outrageous,” Greene said. “She’s acting as a foreign agent within our very government.”
Today, I’m introducing a Censure Resolution on Ilhan Omar for admitting she’s working as a foreign agent for a foreign country.
I urge my colleagues to vote to Censure, but I wish I had the votes to expel and deport her. pic.twitter.com/yNuh2kf7Ii
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) February 1, 2024
🚨 BREAKING: I just introduced a resolution to censure Ilhan Omar for her treasonous statements that she is serving as a foreign agent for a foreign country. pic.twitter.com/1mI324w9uZ
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) February 1, 2024
