Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Trump Tweets That Omar's Israel Remarks Mark a 'Dark Day'
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
March 5, 2019

Share

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday that Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar’s newest remarks about Israel mark a “dark day” for the Jewish state.

His comment came as House Democrats prepared a resolution by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats, declaring that the House opposes anti-Semitism and bigotry.

Some Republicans and Jewish groups are pressuring Democrats for stronger action, including potentially removing Omar from the prestigious House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Some Republicans and Jewish groups are pressuring Democrats for stronger action, including potentially removing Omar from the prestigious House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Omar’s remarks have inflamed Democratic divisions over Israel, and Trump lobbed a tweet into the uproar.

“Representative Ilhan Omar is again under fire for her terrible comments concerning Israel,” he wrote, referencing what he said were “Jewish groups” demanding she be stripped of her committee seat. “A dark day for Israel!”

It was the latest chapter in a series of clashes between Omar and American supporters of Israel in Washington, where the Minnesota Democrat has been celebrated as part of a new generation of House members that is more female and more diverse than any in history.

Omar Ignites Bipartisan Uproar in DC, Minnesota

Last month, Omar ignited a bipartisan uproar in Washington and Minnesota when she suggested on Twitter that members of Congress are paid by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee to support Israel. AIPAC is a nonprofit organization that works to influence U.S. policy. She apologized for that remark, but Trump called her mea culpa “lame” and said she should resign from Congress or at least not be allowed to serve on committees.

For a few weeks, the matter quieted. But last week, Omar said at a Washington bookstore that she worries that everything she says about Israel would be construed as anti-Semitic. She used language that, to many ears, evoked a longtime trope about American Jews having divided loyalties. Israel’s supporters, she suggested, are pushing members of Congress to pledge “allegiance to a foreign country.”

Prominent Democrats, including House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel, demanded another apology from Omar and began over the weekend to write the resolution.

It’s at least the third time the Minnesota Democrat’s words have put her colleagues in a more delicate spot than usual on the U.S.-Israel relationship, and the second time in two months that she’s drawn a stern backlash from party leaders.

Prominent Democrats, including House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel, demanded another apology from Omar and began over the weekend to write the resolution.

A draft offered to news outlets, including The Associated Press, does not explicitly rebuke Omar, a Somali-American and one of two Muslim women in Congress. But it sets out the history of anti-Semitism and bigotry in America, including anti-Jewish tropes about divided loyalties. The document also rejects bigotry directed against Muslims after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

The House is expected to vote on the resolution Wednesday.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Fresno Unified Communications Boss on Leave After AI-Generated FTA Dossier Debacle

DON'T MISS

Visalia Teen Takes Second Place in Dramatic Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals

DON'T MISS

Newsom Tussles With Local Officials Over Homelessness

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Arrest Two Women Suspected in Targeted Shootings

DON'T MISS

Taylor Swift Has Regained Control of Her Music, Buys Back First 6 Albums

DON'T MISS

How Trump’s Vow to Revoke Chinese Student Visas Could Hurt California

DON'T MISS

Speaker Johnson Raises Campaign Money in Fresno

DON'T MISS

2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Panthers-Oilers Final Rematch, Who Is Favored and What to Watch For

DON'T MISS

Visalia House Fire Causes Evacuations, Road Closures

DON'T MISS

Brunson, Towns Carry Knicks to Victory That Cuts Pacers’ Series Lead to 3-2

UP NEXT

Business Insider Cuts 21% of Workforce, Memo Shows

UP NEXT

Harvard Agrees to Relinquish Early Photos of Slaves, Ending a Long Legal Battle

UP NEXT

Silence on E. Coli Outbreak Highlights How Trump Team’s Changes Undermine Food Safety

UP NEXT

Trump Pardons Tax Cheat After Mother Attends $1 Million Dinner

UP NEXT

NPR Sues Trump Administration Over Executive Order to Cut Funding

UP NEXT

Justice Department Reaches Deal to Allow Boeing to Avoid Prosecution Over 737 Max Crashes

UP NEXT

Low-Income Compton Students Get $225M State-of-the-Art High School Campus

UP NEXT

Everyone Now Has an Opinion on Jake Tapper

UP NEXT

Braves Star Ronald Acuña Jr. to Return Friday From Left Knee Injury

UP NEXT

Dave Shapiro, Groundbreaking Music Executive, Dies in San Diego Plane Crash at 42

Fresno Police Arrest Two Women Suspected in Targeted Shootings

1 hour ago

Taylor Swift Has Regained Control of Her Music, Buys Back First 6 Albums

1 hour ago

How Trump’s Vow to Revoke Chinese Student Visas Could Hurt California

1 hour ago

Speaker Johnson Raises Campaign Money in Fresno

1 hour ago

2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Panthers-Oilers Final Rematch, Who Is Favored and What to Watch For

2 hours ago

Visalia House Fire Causes Evacuations, Road Closures

2 hours ago

Brunson, Towns Carry Knicks to Victory That Cuts Pacers’ Series Lead to 3-2

2 hours ago

NY Times Bestselling Author Celebrating Book Release at Fresno Barnes & Noble

2 hours ago

Dodgers Acquire Former All-Star Reliever Alexis Díaz in Trade With Cincinnati Reds

2 hours ago

Christian McCaffrey Returns to 49ers Practice, Showing No Ill Effects From Injuries

2 hours ago

Fresno Unified Communications Boss on Leave After AI-Generated FTA Dossier Debacle

The Fresno Unified communications chief who produced a dossier containing alleged attacks by the teachers union against Superintendent Misty...

15 seconds ago

16 seconds ago

Fresno Unified Communications Boss on Leave After AI-Generated FTA Dossier Debacle

38 minutes ago

Visalia Teen Takes Second Place in Dramatic Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals

1 hour ago

Newsom Tussles With Local Officials Over Homelessness

fresno shooting
1 hour ago

Fresno Police Arrest Two Women Suspected in Targeted Shootings

1 hour ago

Taylor Swift Has Regained Control of Her Music, Buys Back First 6 Albums

1 hour ago

How Trump’s Vow to Revoke Chinese Student Visas Could Hurt California

1 hour ago

Speaker Johnson Raises Campaign Money in Fresno

2 hours ago

2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Panthers-Oilers Final Rematch, Who Is Favored and What to Watch For

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend