Omar accuses Cheney of ‘deep seeded hate and Islamophobia’

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) on Monday accused House Republican Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) of “deep seeded hate and Islamophobia” after Cheney repeatedly criticized Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) over her comments related to Israel and the Holocaust. 

“Give it up, we all know you never met a Muslim you didn’t want to vilify!” Omar, a Muslim, said in response to a tweet from Cheney. “Your deep seeded hate and Islamophobia might be a tool to rally your base, but won’t get rid your colleagues. You just have to deal.”

Give it up, we all know you never met a Muslim you didn’t want to vilify!

Your deep seeded hate and Islamophobia might be a tool to rally your base, but won’t get rid your colleagues. You just have to deal ‍♀️ https://t.co/hMvvxLnmp5

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) May 13, 2019

The remarks came as Tlaib faced mounting criticism from the GOP over remarks she made over the weekend while discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

Cheney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.

{mosads}Tlaib, who became one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress last year, noted that the U.S. commemorated Holocaust Remembrance Day while talking about the subject on Saturday. 

“There’s, you know, there’s a kind of a calming feeling, I always tell folks, when I think of the Holocaust and the tragedy of the Holocaust, and the fact that it was my ancestors — Palestinians — who lost their land and some lost their lives, their livelihood, their human dignity, their existence, in many ways, had been wiped out,” Tlaib said on Yahoo News’s “Skullduggery” podcast. 

“I mean, just all of it was in the name of trying to create a safe haven for Jews, post-the Holocaust, post-the tragedy and the horrific persecution of Jews across the world at that time,” she continued before noting that she loves “the fact that it was my ancestors that provided that [safe haven], in many ways.”

President Trump and multiple House Republicans criticized Tlaib’s remarks, with Cheney accusing the congresswoman of minimizing the tragedy of the Holocaust with her statement. 

Trump called Tlaib’s comment a “horrible and highly insensitive statement.”

“I call on Speaker Pelosi and Leader Hoyer to finally take action against Representative Tlaib and other members of the Democratic caucus who are spreading vile anti-Semitism,” Cheney said in statement obtained by The Washington Post on Sunday. 

“All of us, regardless of party, must stand as Americans against the evil of anti-Semitism. If the Democratic leadership continues to stand by in silence, they are enabling the spread of evil,” Cheney added.

Tlaib stood by her comments on Monday, saying that Republicans were “twisting [and] turning” her words to “ignite vile attacks.”

Policing my words, twisting & turning them to ignite vile attacks on me will not work. All of you who are trying to silence me will fail miserably. I will never allow you to take my words out of context to push your racist and hateful agenda. The truth will always win.

— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) May 13, 2019

Cheney responded to Tlaib by saying the freshman lawmaker’s “‘history’ of what happened after is a fantasy based on lies spread to delegitimize the state of Israel.”

Here’s @RepRashida direct quote, “There’s a calming feeling I always tell folks when I think of the Holocaust.” And her “history” of what happened after is a fantasy based on lies spread to delegitimize the state of Israel. https://t.co/5akpUSApIE

— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) May 13, 2019

Omar issued multiple tweets defending Tlaib on Monday. She called Trump’s criticism “another transparent attempt to sow division [between] minority communities and distract from your own criminal behavior by smearing a Muslim woman.”

Trump and the GOP have previously condemned Omar’s remarks about Israel. 

In addition to Omar, Democratic leadership has stood behind Tlaib. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called on the GOP and Trump to apologize for their “desperate attempts to smear” Tlaib. 

Republicans’ desperate attempts to smear @RepRashida & misrepresent her comments are outrageous. President @realDonaldTrump & House GOP should apologize to Rep. Tlaib & the American people for their gross misrepresentations.

— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) May 13, 2019