One week she was clearly taken aback by having to field tough questions regarding her allegations that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was being blackmailed by President Trump over Grahams alleged closet homosexuality. She also was pressed over a 2012 tweet where she said Israel had "hypnotized the world."
The following week, Rep. Omar piled on the Covington Catholic boys by totally misrepresenting their role in the standoff with Nathan Phillips. So much so that she deleted the tweet after the boys' legal counsel threatened a lawsuit.
Man, she sure has made waves in just over a month into her first term. Certainly things couldn't get much worse, could they?
Well.......
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., claims that on Sunday when she sent out multiple tweets decrying the nefarious influence of Jewish money in American politics that she had no idea she was spreading anti-Semitism until she subsequently learned about the implications of her statements. That might have been a more compelling excuse if it weren't for the fact that she used the exact same one last month, when explaining an earlier anti-Semitic tweet.
On Sunday night, the freshman Democrat, who was given a slot on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, reacted to a story about a plan from the desk of House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to "take action" against the anti-Semitism being exhibited on a regular basis by Omar and her " sister" freshman Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., by tweeting out "It's all about the Benjamins baby." She then followed it up by saying she meant AIPAC, and then promoted several other supportive tweets furthering the same argument about Jewish donor influence.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., demanded that Omar apologize, and then Omar tweeted out a tortured statement in response.
"Anti-Semitism is real and I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes," Omar wrote. "My intention is never to offend my constituents or Jewish Americans as a whole. We have to always be willing to step back and think through criticism, just as I expect people to hear me when others attack me for my identity. This is why I unequivocally apologize."
Of course I have to wonder if she's apologizing for her insensitivity or for allowing the proverbial mask to slip. Either way, this is a horrible look, one which won't help the Dems' perceived anti-semitism problem.
Let's not kid ourselves here. Omar represents a D+26 district, which means a wind-up set of chattering teeth could run as a Dem and garner 60+% of the vote. As such, she's in no real danger of losing at the ballot box. A tweet from Northern Alliance Radio Network alum (and CD5 resident) Chad "The Elder" Doughty really put it in perspective.
If you had "We miss the kinder, gentler days of Congressman Ellison" in your betting pool for CD5 GOP quotes, collect your winnings!
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