OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Rep. Ilhan Omar is in trouble again over a racially charged statement she made about “white men” that drew a lot of heat online and not a few accusations of hypocrisy.
In an interview with the Middle East outlet Al Jazeera, she claimed that “white men” are responsible for “most of the deaths” in the U.S.
The interview was from 2019 but made the rounds again this week when it was shared by popular Twitter user End Wokeness.
“I would say our country should be more fearful of white men across our country because they are actually causing most of the deaths within this country,” the Minnesota Democrat charged.
It’s not clear what evidence or data Omar was citing. But, according to 2018 homicide data gathered by the FBI, one of the most recent years available, “When the race of the offender was known, 54.9 percent were Black or African American, 42.4 percent were White, and 2.7 percent were of other races.”
Also, as several users pointed out online, Omar is married to a white man.
What would happen if a white politician said this about blacks? pic.twitter.com/HV0zYe5ISo
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) July 27, 2023
Ilhan Omar: “Our country should be fearful of white men.”
Also Ilhan Omar: Is married to one https://t.co/spPcMuDMil pic.twitter.com/SknVaYFRHU
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) July 28, 2023
Her remarks also set off a firestorm of criticism.
“Ilhan Omar is race baiting trash who doesn’t deserve a seat in Congress,” proclaimed political commentator Gunther Eagleman.
“This isn’t ‘reverse racism,’” added “Relentless” podcast host Kyle Becker. “This is racism. Straight up.”
Others pointed out the error of her data, at least in terms of homicides.
Just to point out she’s wrong, FBI homicide numbers, 2016-2021 pic.twitter.com/TYYLVYJUbE
— Paul Rossi (@pauldrossi) July 27, 2023
Earlier this year, Omar also turned heads when she claimed that “far-right insurrectionists” forced then-House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s hand in order to win their support for his Speakership.
“McCarthy just agreed to a deal with far right insurrectionists that would hold the entire US and global economy hostage to extreme cuts to everything from housing to education, healthcare, Social Security and Medicare. Hard to overstate how dangerous this is,” she said.
She also responded to a comment that said some moderate Republicans would work with Democrats to vote against the rules package that Speaker McCarthy made with the group.
“This would mean once the Speaker is elected, the rule package the Freedom Caucus negotiated fails and a rules package that doesn’t have any of the concessions passes. Tune in … to find out how this saga ends,” she said.
Omar was hammered for her comments then, as well.
“Dangerous freedom > peaceful slavery,” the Hodge twins said.
“Is it as dangerous as marrying your brother?” comedian Tim Young said.
“Democrats just pushed through a $1.7 Trillion Omnibus Bill, and you’re worried about spending more money already. Sounds like that deal was needed!” Florida Republican House Candidate Vic DeGrammont said.
McCarthy finally managed to become Speaker for the newly elected Republican House majority following some late-night drama involving Matt Gaetz after the GOP lawmaker from Florida voted “present,” initially denying McCarthy’s victory by a single vote.
“It took a loss by a razor-thin margin in a late-night Round 14, a heated exchange with one of his sternest opponents, and a near-adjournment of the House till Monday to break a logjam unseen since before the Civil War,” the Associated Press reported after the 15th round of balloting.
“The final tally that put him over the top: 216 for McCarthy, 212 for Democrat leader Hakeem Jeffries and 6 simply ‘present,’” the outlet reported.
A video clip of a frustrated McCarthy confronting Gaetz after his first “present” went viral online.
Some Republicans said the drama was worth it to secure a better rules package agreement regarding power from McCarthy.
