According to Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Rep. Ilhan Omar needs additional security because she is receiving death threats because after her controversial comments.
Schakowsky said on MSNBC:
I think it’s because the press included, Hallie, I’m sorry, also likes to exploit these kinds of maybe more sexy kinds of battles. And it is not a battle. I want to tell you that. I did say stop tweeting in that caucus yesterday because I think that this is not a conversation that we ought to have on social media and in the public. But if you want to know the truth, the majority of us are — vast majority are going to be voting for a resolution that I hope puts this to bet that says, yes, as a Jew, anti-semitism is a huge deal. The anti-semitic acts are up 50% over last year. But Islamophobia is also a huge problem. And I want to tell you that Ilhan Omar, congresswoman, is under tremendous attack, death threats. I think maybe she needs some security. And why? Because I think, in part, the Republicans and the media have blown this up to be much more than it is. We do have to deal with the kind of diversity in our caucus.
But I want to tell you, Ilhan talked to me personally. Not only did she apologize for the words that she has used, but she apologized personally to me as a Jew. And I want to tell you, part of being a Jew is to be welcoming to the stranger. And I want to tell you, Ilhan Omar is a refugee from Somalia. She comes from a different culture. She has things to learn. I am not either trivializing anti-semitism or the things that she said or saying that it’s okay that she said them. But what I am saying is that I think this a learning moment for her and a learning moment for the caucus on how to get along.
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Video:
Schakowsky on Rep. Omar receiving death threats, " I want to tell you that Omar is under tremendous attack, death threats. I think maybe she needs some securityThe Republicans and the media have blown this up to be much more than it is." https://t.co/GUtQyEYV5h pic.twitter.com/XKR6L7gG8E
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) March 7, 2019
Republicans have been happy to seize on Omar’s comments as a way to distract and divide Democrats, and the mainstream press can’t resist falling back into one of their most tired of cliches, the divided Democratic Party.
Rep. Schakowsky brought up a great point. This is a diverse House majority full of people who are new to Congress. There are going to be some growing pains and lessons needed in getting along. There is a pro-Israel bias in most mainstream media coverage of the Middle East.
No member of Congress should be receiving death threats because they stated a position or a belief. Speaker Pelosi is doing the right thing. She is allowing the House to express itself by voting on a resolution condemning hate. After the vote, it will be time for Democrats to move on from what is largely a distraction issue that is taking away from more important matters.
Democrats can’t allow themselves to be defeated when they should all be solidly behind taking back the White House and Senate in 2020. The media turns a blind eye to much of the racism and bigotry coming out of the Republican Party. If the press wants to have any credibility on this issue, they can start by holding Republicans to the sane standard that they have used with Rep. Omar.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
