Omar says Johnson stirring up ‘anger and hate’ with Columbia visit

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) took aim at Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) visit to Columbia University on Wednesday, saying he was creating more “anger and hate” by making the visit.

“This is a man who is holding on to his Speakership. He knows he might be on the chopping block,” Omar said on MSNBC’s “Alex Wagner Tonight.” “And it is not surprising that he would go out to Columbia University and stir up really more anger and hate and endanger the lives of young people who are at the encampment at Columbia University.”

Johnson paid a visit to Columbia alongside other Republican lawmakers to address the rise of pro-Palestinian protests on its campus and other schools across the nation, as students demonstrate against the ongoing war in Gaza. During the visit, however, the lawmakers were met with heckling from students and were frequently drowned out when delivering their remarks.

MSNBC host Alex Wagner asked Omar to explain the “discrepancy” between how Republicans see the rioters during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and how they are reacting to the pro-Palestinian protests.

“I mean, it’s a complete clown show. These people do not care about violent protests,” she told him. “They don’t care about First Amendment. They care about their — performing their political theater, which is what they most of the time do.”

“These are people who supported insurrectionists on Jan. 6, who threatened my life, and the lives of all of our colleagues, who threatened the peaceful transfer of governance,” she added.

She also touched on how some Republicans have suggested the National Guard should come in to respond to the protests, saying it is “really astonishing that they want to be taken seriously.” Johnson noted during the press conference there could be a time when the National Guard could be called in to respond to protests.

“If this is not contained quickly, and if these threats and intimidation are not stopped, there is an appropriate time for the National Guard,” he said. “We have to bring order to these campuses. We cannot allow this to happen around the country. We are better than this.”

Omar has been outspoken against Israel’s actions in Gaza and has repeatedly called for a cease-fire in the region. Her daughter, Isra Hirsi, revealed last week that she was suspended from Columbia University’s Barnard College after participating in a pro-Palestinian protest.

The Hill has reached out to Johnson’s office for comment.