Ilhan Omar accuses Meghan McCain of trafficking in ‘anti-Muslim smears and hate speech’

Freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) lashed out at “The View” co-host Meghan McCain on Thursday after McCain criticized supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and alleged that they are misogynistic, “abusive and inspired by [Sanders]” online.

“The same people who chastise the progressive movement regularly traffic in anti-Muslim smears and hate speech against me and those I represent,” Omar tweeted Thursday, sharing two images of tweets from McCain.

“It’s almost as if they don’t genuinely care about online harassment,” Omar continued.

The same people who chastise the progressive movement regularly traffic in anti-Muslim smears and hate speech against me and those I represent.

It’s almost as if they don’t genuinely care about online harassment.
pic.twitter.com/jZKgYvjDl6

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) February 20, 2020

McCain shared the first tweet Wednesday during the Nevada Democratic primary debate, writing: “Bernie – your army of Bernie bro’s are the worst in all of the internet and every woman on both sides knows it. Mysoginistic (sic), abusive and inspired by you. There’s no army of Pete bots or Biden bots abusing women! #DemDebate.” 

Bernie – your army of Bernie bro’s are the worst in all of the internet and every woman on both sides knows it. Mysoginistic, abusive and inspired by you. There’s no army of Pete bots or Biden bots abusing women! #DemDebate

— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) February 20, 2020

Sanders defended his online supporters during the debate, saying that he does not believe they are aggressive or critical of other Democratic candidates online. In a heated moment, former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg said the Vermont independent’s supporters were “at war” with culinary union leaders in the state who had previously criticized Sanders’s health care plan.

The second image is a screengrab of a tweet allegedly from McCain, in which she shared another tweet accusing Omar of marrying her brother. “The View” co-host appeared to add: “How is this not a bigger deal?”

{mosads}The tweet is not shared to McCain’s official Twitter account as of Thursday evening.

Omar has repeatedly denied the allegation that she married her brother. The lawmaker released a statement in 2016, before she was elected to Congress, saying “A number of baseless rumors have been made recently about my personal life and family. I will say it again here: they are absolutely false and ridiculous,” The New York Times reported.

This is not the first time Omar and McCain have clashed.

Last year, McCain called for some of Omar’s rhetoric that others have called anti-Semitic to be addressed following a deadly shooting at a California synagogue, although Omar had apologized for the statements. 

McCain was pressed by “Late Night” host Seth Meyers last year on her criticism of Omar. Meyers asked McCain if she thought people who talk about Omar, one of the first two Muslim women to be elected to Congress, need to be careful “or do you stand by those comments of tying her to this, her rhetoric to the synagogue shooting.”