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A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 15 april 2019

Dems defend Omar after Trump retweets video against her

WASHINGTON (AP) — Top Omar’s recent speech to Trade Center as “some also tweeted, “WE WILL photograph of the flaming
Democrats on Saturday the Council on American- people did something,” NEVER FORGET!” towers. Pelosi, who was in
rushed to defend Rep. Il- Islamic Relations in which and includes news footage Omar’s remark has drawn Germany visiting U.S. troops
han Omar after President criticism largely from politi- Saturday, said in a state-
Donald Trump retweeted cal opponents and conser- ment that “the memory of
video that was edited to vatives who say the law- 9/11 is sacred ground” and
suggest she was being dis- maker, one of the first Mus- should always be discussed
missive of the significance lim women to serve in Con- “with reverence.” The Cali-
of the worst terrorist assault gress, offered a flippant fornia Democrat said it is
on U.S. soil. description of the assailants wrong for Trump to “fan
House Speaker Nancy Pe- and the attacks that killed the flames to make anyone
losi scolded Trump for us- nearly 3,000 people. less safe.”
ing the “painful images of Neither Trump’s tweet nor Omar didn’t appear to be
9/11 for a political attack” the video included her full backing down.
against the first-term Min- quote or the context of her She tweeted a quote from
nesota Democrat. comments. President George W. Bush,
And presidential candi- Omar told CAIR in Los An- who said days after the at-
date Elizabeth Warren, geles that many Muslims tacks: “The people — and
campaigning in New saw their civil liberties erod- the people who knocked
Hampshire, accused Trump In this March 6, 2019, file photo, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., ed after the attacks, and these buildings down will
of “trying to incite violence sits with fellow Democrats on the House Education and Labor she advocated for activ- hear all of us soon!”
and to divide us, and ev- Committee during a bill markup, on Capitol Hill in Washington. ism. “Was Bush downplaying
ery political leader should Associated Press “For far too long we have the terrorist attack?” Omar
speak out against that.” lived with the discomfort of tweeted. “What if he was a
The video Trump retweet- she described the 2001 ter- of the hijacked planes hit- being a second-class citi- Muslim.”
ed Friday pulls a snippet of rorist attack on the World ting the Twin Towers. Trump zen and, frankly, I’m tired Several of the 2020 Demo-
of it, and every single Mus- cratic presidential candi-
lim in this country should be dates condemned Trump’s
tired of it,” she said in the tweet.
March 23 speech, accord- Former Texas Rep. Beto
ing to video posted online. O’Rourke, said the Repub-
“CAIR was founded after lican president’s tweet
9/11 because they recog- was an “incitement to vio-
nized that some people lence” against Omar, who
did something and that all is Muslim-American, and
of us were starting to lose others like her. O’Rourke,
access to our civil liberties.” campaigning in South
CAIR was founded in 1994, Carolina, likened the tweet
according to its website, to Trump’s rhetoric about
but its membership skyrock- Mexicans, described in the
eted after the attacks. past by Trump as murder-
Many Republicans and ers and rapists. O’Rourke
conservative outlets ex- said “there is a cost and
pressed outrage at Omar’s there is a consequence” to
remarks. Fellow Democrats, Trump’s comments.
including some who have Warren, a Massachusetts
disagreed with Omar in the senator, said Republican
past, defended her. leaders in Congress “can-
“First Member of Congress not take a pass on this, can-
to ever describe terror- not look the other way and
ists who killed thousands pretend it isn’t happening.
of Americans on 9/11 as It is happening. And those
‘some people who did who don’t speak out in the
something,’” tweeted Rep. Republican leadership are
Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas. complicit in what he is do-
The retired Navy SEAL lost ing. It’s wrong.”
his right eye in 2012 in an Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobu-
explosion in Afghanistan. char noted that a New York
“Here’s your something,” man recently was charged
the New York Post blared with threatening Omar’s
on its cover beneath a life.q