Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Monday praised Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for condemning Rep. Ilham Omar’s (D-Minn.) tweets suggesting that lawmakers who defend Israel are motivated by money.
{mosads}”Something I never thought I’d say: Bravo Nancy!” the Texas senator tweeted, sharing Pelosi’s statement on Omar’s tweets.
“Thank you for having the courage to unequivocally condemn anti-Semitism,” the Texas senator wrote.
Omar stirred controversy on Sunday evening with tweets that some asserted were anti-Semitic. Amid mounting criticism from GOP lawmakers, Pelosi and other members of House Democratic leadership condemned the freshman lawmaker’s comments, and called her use of anti-Semitic tropes “deeply offensive.”
“We condemn these remarks and we call upon Congresswoman Omar to immediately apologize for these hurtful comments,” the top Democrats wrote.
Pelosi added that she spoke to Omar on Monday, and the two spoke about how to “to move forward as we reject anti-Semitism in all forms.”
Omar prompted criticism from members of both major parties on Sunday evening when she retweeted journalist Glenn Greenwald’s response to a story about House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) promising “action” toward the Minnesota lawmaker and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) over their alleged anti-Semitism. She captioned that retweet with the message, “It’s all about the Benjamins baby,” referring to money.
Asked who she “thinks is paying American politicians to be pro-Israel,” Omar replied “AIPAC!” referencing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group.
Republicans have seized on Omar’s tweets to levy allegations of anti-Semitism. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has called on Democratic leadership to discipline Omar and to speak out against “anti-Semitic tropes.”
A number of Democrats issued statements on Monday criticizing Omar for her tweets, including House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerold Nadler (D-N.Y.), House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) similarly lauded Pelosi for her stance on Omar.
“I sincerely applaud Dem leadership for not excusing her bigoted and hateful comments toward @Israel,” Huckabee tweeted.