Group of House Democrats condemn Rep. Omar for remarks about U.S., Israel, Hamas and the Taliban [View all]

[George II]

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Source: NBC News

WASHINGTON — A dozen House Democrats publicly criticized their colleague Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., late Wednesday, accusing her of giving "cover" to terrorist and suggesting her remarks about Hamas and the Taliban reflect a "deep-seated prejudice."

“Equating the United States and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban is as offensive as it is misguided,” the group, led by Rep. Brad Schneider, of Illinois, said in a statement, urging Omar to "clarify" her remarks.

Omar responded to her critics by calling their statement "offensive" and defending her initial remarks.

The statement by the group of lawmakers said that the U.S. and Israel are “imperfect” and are at times deserving of critique, “but false equivalencies give cover to terrorist groups.”

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/group-house-democrats-condemn-rep-omar-remarks-about-u-s-n1270290

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The full statement:

STATEMENT ON CONGRESSWOMAN OMAR EQUATING THE UNITED STATES AND ISRAEL TO HAMAS AND THE TALIBAN

June 9, 2021 Press Release

WASHINGTON— Today, Representative Brad Schneider led Representatives Jake Auchincloss, Ted Deutch, Lois Frankel, Josh Gottheimer, Elaine Luria, Kathy Manning, Jerrold Nadler, Dean Phillips, Kim Schrier, Brad Sherman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz in releasing the following joint statement:

Equating the United States and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban is as offensive as it is misguided. Ignoring the differences between democracies governed by the rule of law and contemptible organizations that engage in terrorism at best discredits one’s intended argument and at worst reflects deep-seated prejudice.

The United States and Israel are imperfect and, like all democracies, at times deserving of critique, but false equivalencies give cover to terrorist groups. We urge Congresswoman Omar to clarify her words placing the US and Israel in the same category as Hamas and the Taliban.

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