Tlaib tweets support for Omar after controversial comments: ‘Incredible courageous woman’

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) is standing firm with fellow freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) following Omar’s latest controversial comments, calling the Minnesota lawmaker “an incredible courageous woman.”

“I am so honored to serve with @IlhanMN, an incredible courageous woman,” Tlaib tweeted. “Every time I worry about her and the ugly attacks, I remember what she said to me two months ago: ‘I survived war, I can survive this.'”

I am so honored to serve with @IlhanMN, an incredible courageous woman. Every time I worry about her and the ugly attacks, I remember what she said to me two months ago: “I survived war, I can survive this.” https://t.co/2wyrC0m6ry

— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) March 6, 2019

Omar, a refugee of Somalia’s civil war, became the subject of renewed controversy after comments she made at a Washington, D.C., event last week.

{mosads}“I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country,” Omar said at an event last week at the restaurant and bookstore Busboys and Poets. “I want to ask, why is it OK for me to talk about the influence of the NRA, of fossil fuel industries, or Big Pharma, and not talk about a powerful lobby that is influencing policy?”

She followed those comments by tweeting Sunday, “I should not be expected to have allegiance/pledge support to a foreign country in order to serve my country in Congress or serve on committee.”

The comments sparked backlash, with critics saying they invoked an anti-Semitic stereotype that Jewish people are more loyal to Israel than the U.S.

Omar’s supporters, including Tlaib and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), have said that she was simply questioning American lawmakers’ support for Israel and have rushed to her defense as the House prepares to approve a resolution condemning anti-Semitism that is largely seen as a rebuke of her remarks.

A coalition of Muslim and left-leaning Jewish advocacy groups plan to hold a press conference on Wednesday in support of Omar and urge Democratic leaders to “equally condemn” anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and racism.

Omar is not the only lawmaker facing accusations of anti-Semitism this week, as Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has faced criticism for a tweet calling liberal donor Tom Steyer, who has Jewish heritage, “$teyer.”

This is also not the first instance in which Omar has been accused of anti-Semitism while criticizing Israel. She tweeted previously that Congress’s staunch support of Israel was “all about the Benjamins,” which critics said also played into anti-Semitic tropes. She later apologized for those comments.

The House is expected to vote this week on a resolution condemning anti-Semitism that follows Omar’s comments but does not mention her by name. 

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday said he would not remove Omar from his committee following her comments.