Ilhan Omar - live: GOP advances effort to oust Democrat from committee as she denies antisemitic remarks

In a 2020 sitdown with The Independent, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar described her experience coming to America as a refugee and experiencing the search for her family’s personal slice of the American dream firsthand.

And she said that she believed that optimism that immigrants once looked to America with had been tarnished by Donald Trump’s xenophobic rhetoric.

“America… for so many people living abroad, including myself when I lived in a refugee camp, is a place where people do get an opportunity to fulfil their promise. And the idea that the United States has been seen as a place of refuge, as a place where as my grandfather used to say ‘eventually everyone becomes an American’, is now being led by a xenophobic, racist tyrant, who doesn’t understand anything that is fundamental to the American identity – that’s a shock to many people,” she told Richard Hall.

‘I’m a woman, I’m black, I’m a refugee, an immigrant, a Muslim and I wear a hijab. And all of those are identities that have been vilified by the right,’ she tells Richard Hall

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar scorched Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Twitter ahead of Wednesay’s vote on a rule that would allow her to be removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

In a tweet Tuesday evening, she wrote: “The fact that this has become a sole focus for @SpeakerMcCarthy that he is personally whipping votes for it is really pathetic. Not the debt ceiling or all the actual priorities a Speaker should be fighting to deal with and whip votes for,” before adding a shrugging emoji.

Democrats in Congress weren’t the only ones raging at Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday as the GOP majority looks poised to boot Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Others like author Marianne Williamson decried the move by Republicans on Twitter; the issue trended throughout much of Wednesday as Mr McCarthy experience what may have been more resistance to the idea than he expected.

A second Republican congressman has just revealed a bit more of what is motivating the push to remove Ilhan Omar from Foreign Affairs.

Rep Max Miller wrote that his colleague “does not support our alliance” with Israel, which he called an ally for 75 years.

He added: “[S]he should not have a seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.”

Some, like MSNBC’s Medhi Hasan responded: “What’s good about tweets like these is that they say the quiet part out loud. This isn’t about Jews or Judaism but about conflating antisemitism with criticism of Israel & making clear that Omar’s criticism of the US-Israel alliance is what makes her unacceptable to the GOP.”

House Republicans hope to remove Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota from the House Foreign Affairs Committee as early as Wednesday. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and many other Republicans, and even some Democrats, have said that her criticisms of Israel amount to antisemitism.

But what exactly did she say to warrant the anger of her Republican rivals?

Eric Garcia looks into it:

Republicans want to remove the Minnesota Democrat from the House Foreign Affairs committee and have accused her of antisemitism

The House of Representatives voted took a procedural step that would allow them to remove Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The House voted 218 to 209 on a rule that would allow for a vote to kick Ms Omar off the key committee. A final vote is expected tomorrow.

Republicans have accused the Minnesota Democrat of antisemitism

Senator Elizabeth Warren has weighed into the debate over Ilhan Omar’s post on House Foreign Affairs.

Joining her colleague Bernie Sanders in support for Ms Omar, she wrote: “.@IlhanMN is the first African-born congressmember and the only House Foreign Affairs Committee member who’s lived in a refugee camp. It’s shameful that Republicans are trying to remove her after smearing her for years.”

“We need her voice, values, and expertise on the Committee,” Ms Warren added.

Bernie Sanders slammed the House GOP in a statement this week ahead of the effort by Republicans to punish Ilhan Omar and remove her from the Foreign Affairs panel.

The progressive senator, a political ally of Ms Omar, called the move “ugly” and “outrageous”.

“.@IlhanMN is once again facing ugly personal and political attacks with incredible courage and dignity. It is outrageous that the House leadership wants to boot her off the Foreign Affairs Committee. Fair minded Republicans must join Democrats in preventing that from happening,” wrote the senator.

Congresswoman Nancy Mace of South Carolina said on Wednesday that she was still opposed to an effort to remove Rep Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

With her opposed to the idea, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy can only afford a few other defections from his side — more than that, and the vote will not pass.

Rep Ken Buck appears to have flipped his position and plans to vote to remove Rep Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee, according to Politico. The full House vote on Rep Omar is not expected to be held until Thursday.