Minnesota Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar is once again facing censure in the House, this time for describing to some Columbia University Jewish students as “pro-genocide.”
While visiting the pro-Hamas encampment at Columbia last week, Omar said in an interview that it was “unfortunate” that some people did not think Jewish students “should be kept safe.” She insisted that antisemitism should not be tolerated against Jewish students “whether they are pro-genocide or anti-genocide.”
Nebraska Republican Rep. Don Bacon revealed on Monday that he was working on a resolution to censure Omar for smearing some Jewish students as being “pro-genocide.”
Bacon said blaming Jewish students for events in Israel was the definition of antisemitism. He argued that every student at Columbia deserved a safe environment.
Jacklyn Rogers, a spokeswoman for the Minnesota Democrat, claimed that Omar clearly stated that she condemned antisemitism against Jewish students and accused Rep. Bacon of attempting to “misconstrue” Omar’s words. Rogers claimed that Bacon was attempting to “distract” from the violence and alleged “genocide” in Gaza by seeking to censure Omar.
Omar’s repeated antisemitism and anti-Israel rhetoric fueled the Republicans’ decision to vote to remove her from the House Foreign Affairs Committee after they took over the House in January 2023.
A censure resolution against Omar introduced in February by Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene still has not received a vote.
Greene accused Omar of making “treasonous statements” in a speech to Somalis in her district.
A previous effort to censure Omar’s antisemitic remarks in 2019 failed after the Democrat-controlled House watered down the resolution to condemn all antisemitic and anti-Muslim rhetoric.
The House approved a resolution in November censuring Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib for defending “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” the anti-Israel chant that calls for the elimination of the Jewish state.