Rep. Eliot L. Engel (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has demanded a new apology from Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) over comments she had made last Wednesday, only a few weeks after she was forced to apologize for saying (essentially) that rich Jews controlled Washington.
In a town hall meeting in Washington, Omar referenced the classic “dual loyalties” accusation used by Jew haters for at least 3,500 years (since the Pharaoh told his advisers: “Come, let’s use wisdom in dealing with them. Otherwise, they’ll continue to multiply; and in the event of war they would ally themselves with our enemies, fight against us and leave the land altogether.” Ex.1:10), and said:
“I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is okay for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country.”
On Friday, Engel, who is Jewish, said it was “unacceptable and deeply offensive to call into question the loyalty of fellow American citizens because of their political views, including support for the US-Israel relationship.”
“Her comments were outrageous and deeply hurtful, and I ask that she retract them, apologize, and commit to making her case on policy issues without resorting to attacks that have no place in the Foreign Affairs Committee or the House of Representatives,” he said.
A spokesperson for Omar told the Associated Press on Friday that “we must distinguish between criticism of a particular faith and fair critiques of lobbying groups,” insisting that the congresswoman “only meant to target the pro-Israel lobby.”
So far, Omar has had to apologize for her 2012 tweet that said “Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel”; and then for her “Benjamins, baby” comment in reference to someone else’s tweet, meaning that the Jews use their $100 bills to control US foreign policy.
More than 20 House Democrats demanded that second apology from Omar, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and bipartisan leaders issued a joint statement insisting on an apology for her “use of anti-Semitic tropes and prejudicial accusations about Israel’s supporters.”