Nancy now says she WON'T punish Ilhan Omar for comparing the US and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban and insists she has 'the right to make that point' after backlash from The Squad
The eight House Republicans who voted to oust Marjorie Taylor Greene from her committee assignments say Democrats should impose the same punishment on Ilhan Omar for her latest comments on Israel.
The group sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, signed by Carlos Gimenez of Florida, Young Kim of California, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Fred Upton of Michigan, New Yorkers Chris Jacobs and Nicole Malliotakis, and Florida representatives Mario Díaz-Balart and Maria Salazar.
'It is the responsibility of the party's leadership in the House of Representatives to hold accountable egregious words and actions made by Members of the Party. Now is the time for you to rise to the challenge you have set for yourself,' the letter reads.
It called on Democrats to remove her from her seat on the foreign affairs committee, with those signatories removing their own party member Marjorie Taylor Greene from her seat on the education committee for spouting conspiracy theories.
The Republicans also claimed that Omar accused other lawmakers of 'unconstitutionally pleading allegiance to a foreign sovereign because of their support of the U.S.-Israel partnership' and 'whitewashing' the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
'These comments and policy stances undermine the interests of the United States abroad and weakens the effectiveness of our foreign policy,' the letter reads.
'Her continued involvement as a prominent member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee cheapens the role of Congress in foreign policy decision-making.'
The lawmakers called Omar's comments 'anti-Semitic' and alleged that not punishing her for them would send 'a dangerous signal' that the United States 'tolerates anti-Semitism.'
'[It] sends a dangerous signal to our allies and our adversaries alike that the United States tolerates anti-Semitism, that we no longer believe in the long-term mission of supporting free peoples and free markets, and that we no longer remain committed to combatting acts of terror against the United States or our allies,' the letter reads.
According to the Republicans, Omar's stances on foreign policy are 'inconsistent and incompatible' with that of the United States.
'Time after time, Congresswoman Omar has delivered a hollow and meaningless apology with the sole purpose of appeasing her party's leadership, only to revert back to her true sentiments and her real policy stances,' the letter reads.
The letter writers urged Pelosi to act and said that her rebuke of Omar's comments would be the only one that would have a 'meaningful impact.'
'We wholeheartedly request that you live up to your word and swiftly remove Congresswoman Omar from her committee assignments,' the letter reads.
The letter writers add that not punishing Omar would be a 'cowardly refusal' on Pelosi's part to hold members of her own party accountable
In February, Pelosi called House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy 'cowardly' for refusing to support removing Greene from her committee assignments.
Pelosi said Friday she will take no further action against Omar for comparing the US and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban - and insisted she has 'the right to make that point'.
Omar's original tweet said: 'We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the US, Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban.
'We must have the same level of accountability and justice for all victims of crimes against humanity.'
Excusing Omar in the wake of ensuing outrage, Pelosi said: 'I think that she clarified her remarks and we accept that, and she has a point that she wanted to make and she has a right to make that point,' Pelosi said at a press conference. 'There's some unease about how it was interpreted.'
'She made her clarification', Pelosi insisted before moving onto the next question.
After her appearance, she posed for a photo and bashed Republicans by saying: 'Can you imagine those people though? How awful they are?'
The Democratic speaker responded after Omar said the US and Israel had committed 'unspeakable atrocities' like terrorist groups and sparked an intense battle within the party.
The party has been thrown into disarray at the start of President Joe Biden's eight-day trip to Europe.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib blasted Pelosi and Democratic leadership for a statement they put out Thursday saying Rep. Omar was fomenting 'prejudice' by comparing the U.S. and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban.
'Freedom of speech doesn't exist for Muslim women in Congress. The benefit of the doubt doesn't exist for Muslim women in Congress,' Tlaib tweeted two hours later. 'House Democratic leadership should be ashamed of its relentless, exclusive tone policing of Congresswomen of color.'
Omar on Thursday accused her critics within the Democratic Party of whipping up 'Islamic hate against her' after they complained she was comparing atrocities committed by American and Israeli troops with those of terrorist groups.
Beyond support from fellow Squad members Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Congressional Progressive Caucus also came out in defense of Omar, a Minnesota Democrat.
Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal called Omar a 'deeply valued member' of the Progressive Caucus in a statement sent out Thursday afternoon, several hours after Pelosi and the five top House Democrats sent out theirs.
'We cannot ignore a right-wing media echo chamber that has deliberately and routinely attacked a Black, Muslim woman in Congress, distorting her views and intentions, and resulting in threats against Rep. Omar and her staff,' Jayapal said. 'We urge our colleagues not to abet or amplify such divisive and bad-faith tactics.'
'Members of the Democratic caucus owe it to each other to pause, reflect, and engage directly with each other when misunderstandings arise, and stand together against cynical attempts to divide our caucus,' she added.
Pelosi stepped in on Thursday afternoon in an effort to end the feuding.
She said legitimate criticism of the U.S. and Israel was protected by the values of democratic debate.
'But drawing false equivalencies between democracies like the U.S. and Israel and groups that engage in terrorism like Hamas and the Taliban foments prejudice and undermines progress toward a future of peace and security for all,' she said.
'We welcome the clarification by Congresswoman Omar that there is no moral equivalency between the U.S. and Israel and Hamas and the Taliban.'
Omar has frequently been at odds with members of her own party on the Middle East.
The latest row stems from her pressing Secretary of State Anthony Blinken for an International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into abuses committed by both Hamas and Israeli security forces.
On Twitter, she went further, describing 'unthinkable atrocities' committed by the US, Israel, Hamas and the Taliban, triggering an angry backlash and accusations of 'false equivalencies' between 'imperfect' democracies and terrorist outfits.
Her office claimed the result was an increase in death threats against her.
And Omar blasted back on Twitter: 'It's shameful for colleagues who call me when they need my support to now put out a statement asking for 'clarification' and not just call.
'The Islamophobic tropes in this statement are offensive. The constant harassment and silencing from the signers of this letter is unbearable.'
Her senior communications director Jeremy Slevin said: 'As usual, the far right is ginning up hate against Rep. Omar for a technical question about an ongoing investigation.
This has already led to an increase in death threats against her and her staff.
'And now some of her own Democratic colleagues are ginning up the same Islamophobic hate against her, accusing her of giving 'cover to terrorist groups' simply for exercising oversight over a criminal investigation.'
Omar insisted her words had been taken out of context.
'To be clear: the conversation was about accountability for specific incidents regarding those ICC cases, not a moral comparison between Hamas and the Taliban and the U.S. and Israel,' she said.
'I was in no way equating terrorist organizations with democratic countries with well-established judicial systems.'
Even so, she was quickly back on the attack, hinting her own caucus was faster to call out anti-Israel comments with the party than Islamaphobia among Republicans.
She highlighted comments by Rep. Mo Brooks in 2019 saying: 'Muslims, more so than most people, have great animosity towards Israel and the Jewish faith.'
She asked: 'When will our caucus forcefully stand up against hate towards their Muslim colleagues and constituents?'
Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, took to Twitter to show solidarity with Omar.
'I am tired of colleagues (both D+R) demonizing,' wrote Tlaib.
'Their obsession with policing her is sick.
'She has the courage to call out human rights abuses no matter who is responsible. That's better than colleagues who look away if it serves their politics.'
An unofficial caucus of 25 Jewish Democrats met on Wednesday to discuss anti-Semitism after the provocative tweet was posted on Monday.
Omar had said: 'We must have the same level of accountability and justice for all victims of crimes against humanity.
'We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the US, Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban.'
New York Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin said Omar should be removed from the Foreign Affairs Committee.
'She should have never been appointed to this Committee in the first place', he tweeted Wednesday night.
Brad Sherman, a senior Democrat from California who has served since 1997, denounced the comments in a furious press release.
He said: 'It's not news that Ilhan Omar would make outrageous and clearly false statements about America and Israel. What's newsworthy is that she admits Hamas is guilty of 'unthinkable atrocities'.
'It's time for all of Israel's detractors to condemn Hamas. And it's time for all those of good will to reject any moral equivalency between the US and Israel on one hand, and Hamas and the Taliban on the other.'
'Ilhan Omar must be removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. She should have never been appointed to this Committee in the first place.
A number of lawmakers at the meeting of Jewish Democrats wanted to name and shame Omar in a joint statement saying she 'discredited' the party, according to The Times of Israel.
Other than Sherman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Brad Schneider were among those pushing to condemn Omar, although no one on the call said they believed the tweet to be anti-Semitic.
Others present were Jamie Raskin, who was hesitant to denounce Omar, Jerry Nadler, Ted Deutch, Jan Schakowsky, Elissa Slotkin and Elaine Luria.
Schakowsky previously joined Omar on a campaign against Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.
Omar's office did not respond to a previous DailyMail.com request on what specific 'atrocities' she was referencing in her tweet that the US is responsible for.
Jeremy Slevin, a spokesman for Omar, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency: 'As usual, the far right is ginning up hate against Rep. Omar for a technical question about an ongoing investigation.
'It is the congresswoman's role as a member of Congress conducting federal oversight to follow the facts, ask questions of the administration and work to make sure the public understands our government shouldn't deny any person from seeking justice.'
David Harris, the American Jewish Committee CEO, said: 'Beyond shocking. Beyond reprehensible.
'Will members of her own party speak up?'
A number of Republican lawmakers have chided in to slam Omar for the 'hateful assault'.
'This shouldn't be at all controversial: America is not a terrorist organization,' newly elected South Carolina Representative Nancy Mace tweeted on Tuesday. 'Full stop.'
'It is absolutely befuddling that Rep. [Ilhan Omar] continues her vicious, hateful assault on America, likening our country to terrorists,' she added.
Florida Representative Brian Mast tweeted: 'This is absolutely disgusting from a Member of Congress. I lost two legs and a finger defending the USA and fighting the radical Islamic terrorists that [Ilhan] Omar is now defending. She is completely unfit to serve our country.'
The 'Squad' member included a clip in her tweet where she questioned Secretary of State Antony Blinken as part of a Monday House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on the State Department's budget request and foreign policy strategy.
Her line of questioning, unlike her tweet, did not include her grouping America with terrorist organizations.
Instead, she asked Blinken how the US plans to help people in areas where war crimes are being committed by Hamas and the Taliban, including places like in Israel, Palestinian territories and Afghanistan.
'I asked [Secretary Antony Blinken] where people are supposed to go for justice,' Omar tweeted of her line of questioning.
Last month, Omar accused Israel of committing 'war crimes' in the conflict between the Jewish state and Hamas, which ws operating in Palestinian territory of Gaza.
'We should all be grateful that a ceasefire will prevent more civilians and children from being killed,' Omar tweeted in May. 'But now what? We need accountability for every war crime committed.'
'And we need to stop underwriting crimes against humanity while doing nothing to end the occupation,' she added.
During the 11-day conflict last month, thousands of missiles were fired at Jerusalem and Tel Aviv – along with other areas in Israel – from Gaza.
Israel's Iron Dome defense system went into action and the country retaliated with missiles of their own aimed at areas where they believed Hamas was operating – like a media building.
THANKS SO MUCH,, IT MEANS THE WORLD TO US IN THESE DIFFICULT TIME
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