House Votes to Remove Ilhan Omar From Foreign Affairs Committee

The House of Representatives voted 218-211 to pass a resolution removing Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) from the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. The vote was nearly along party-lines, with one Republican voting ‘present.’

For Context: Omar has previously been accused of anti-Semitism for statements critical of Israel and the ongoing Israel-Palestinian conflict, at one point calling Israel an “apartheid state.” In 2019, she posted an apology on Twitter, stating her intention was “never to offend my constituents or Jewish Americans as a whole.” Omar is the third Democratic lawmaker to be removed from committee assignments in recent weeks. House Republicans voted to remove Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) from the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence for allegations the lawmakers dispute.

Key Quotes: Speaking on the House floor before the vote, Omar said, “I am Muslim, I am an immigrant, and interestingly, from Africa. Is anyone surprised that I am being targeted? Is anyone surprised that I am somehow deemed unworthy to speak about American foreign policy, or that they see me as a powerful voice that needs to be silenced?” Rep. Michael Guest stated that Republicans were following the “roadmap previously approved” by Democrats when they removed Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) for statements that garnered criticism across the aisle.

How The Media Covered It: Outlets across the spectrum emphasized that criticism of Omar’s previous statements has been bipartisan. CNN had more paragraphs detailing Greene and Gosar’s controversies than Omar’s.