Omar calls out Boebert over anti-Muslim remarks, denies Capitol incident took place

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) slammed Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) over anti-Muslim remarks she made in a viral video and denied the veracity of an incident Boebert said took place at the Capitol.

“Anti-Muslim bigotry isn’t funny & shouldn’t be normalized. Congress can’t be a place where hateful and dangerous Muslims tropes get no condemnation,” Omar said on Twitter on Thursday evening.

Fact, this buffoon looks down when she sees me at the Capitol, this whole story is made up. Sad she thinks bigotry gets her clout.

Anti-Muslim bigotry isn’t funny & shouldn’t be normalized. Congress can’t be a place where hateful and dangerous Muslims tropes get no condemnation. https://t.co/S1APT7RbqW

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) November 26, 2021

In the video, shared by a Twitter account called PatriotTakes, Boebert recounted an incident she said took place with Omar.

“So the other night on the House floor was not my first jihad squad moment. So I was getting into an elevator with one of my staffers. And he and I are – we’re leaving the Capitol. We’re going back to my office and we get in the elevator, and I see a Capitol Police officer running hurriedly to the elevator,” Boebert said in the video.

“I see fret all over his face, and he’s reaching… The door’s shutting, like I can’t – I can’t open it – like, what’s happening? I look to my left, and there she is. Ilhan Omar. I said, ‘Well she doesn’t have a backpack, we should be fine,’” she said as the audience in the video could be heard laughing.

Omar fired back on Twitter after the video went viral. 

“Fact, this buffoon looks down when she sees me at the Capitol, this whole story is made up. Sad she thinks bigotry gets her clout,” Omar said on Twitter.

Boebert issued a statement on Twitter on Friday, apologizing for her comments and saying she had reached out to Omar’s office about it.

“I apologize to anyone in the Muslim community I offended with my comment about Rep. Omar. I have reached out to her office to speak with her directly. There are plenty of policy differences to focus on without this unnecessary distraction,” Boebert tweeted.

I apologize to anyone in the Muslim community I offended with my comment about Rep. Omar. I have reached out to her office to speak with her directly. There are plenty of policy differences to focus on without this unnecessary distraction.

— Rep. Lauren Boebert (@RepBoebert) November 26, 2021

The Hill has reached out to Omar’s offices for further comment.

The comments also drew fire from CNN anchor Jake Tapper, who called Bobert’s remarks “pure anti-Muslim bigotry.”

“This is pure anti-Muslim bigotry and as such is completely contrary to what the USA is supposed to stand for. That this is tolerated in American politics and the House GOP is an indictment against anyone who is silent about it,” Tapper tweeted on Thursday.

This is pure anti-Muslim bigotry and as such is completely contrary to what the USA is supposed to stand for. That this is tolerated in American politics and the House GOP is an indictment against anyone who is silent about it. https://t.co/b5dNprwG2n

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) November 26, 2021

It is not the first time that Boebert has made controversial remarks about the progressive Democrat. Earlier this month, Boebert defended her colleague Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) before he was ultimately censured by the House for tweeting a video that depicted him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in an animated video.

During her speech on the House floor, she pivoted away from Gosar at one point to talk about Omar in addition to Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.)

“The Jihad Squad member from Minnesota has paid her husband, and not her brother husband, the other one, over a million dollars in campaign funds,” Boebert said at the time, referring to Omar. “This member is allowed on the Foreign Affairs Committee while praising terrorists.”

—Updated Friday at 8:05 p.m.