Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) remains unfazed by a renewed effort to censure her, spearheaded by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), centered around recent mistranslated comments where the progressive lawmaker expressed support for Somali Americans.
Greene is presenting her censure proposal as a privileged resolution, compelling the House to address it within two legislative days, setting the stage for a vote next week.
The resolution alleges that Omar made “treasonous statements” during her Jan. 27 speech, referencing a viral video with misinterpreted remarks claiming that the Democratic congresswoman pledged to safeguard Somali interests from within the United States.
Omar (Credits: Forbes)
Additionally, it proposes stripping Omar of her positions on the House Budget and Education and Workforce Committees.
Omar swiftly rejected the accusations, insisting that her remarks were misinterpreted and taken out of context. She discredited the video’s claims on X, formerly known as Twitter, stating that they were “not only slanted but completely off.”
The Minnesota Reformer, an independent outlet, conducted its own translation of Omar’s speech, asserting that the viral clip causing the controversy featured an “inaccurate translation.”
In response to Greene’s move, Omar dismissed her, saying, “I truly do not care about what that insane woman does.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized the resolution as “frivolous” when addressing reporters on Thursday.
Last fall, Democrats introduced their own censure measure against Greene during another disciplinary dispute, but Jeffries did not commit to pursuing it. Some members within the Democratic Party questioned the efficacy of the back-and-forth involving these resolutions.
This isn’t the first instance of the GOP attempting to penalize Omar, who has long been a target of criticism from the right. Last year, Republicans voted to remove her from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Conservatives have increasingly employed privileged motions to bring disciplinary actions to the forefront without the endorsement of GOP leadership in recent months.
Greene informed reporters that she had informed Republican leaders about the resolution, but details about whether they attempted to suppress it remain unclear.
The fate of Greene’s resolution and its potential advancement to a full floor vote are uncertain. If it does proceed, it’s unlikely that any Democrats will support it.
Expressing her disdain for Omar in personal terms, Greene told reporters, “I would love to expel her. I think she should be deported.”
