Despicable but yet not unsuspected Rep. Lauren Boebert makes another controversial statement. In a video posted on Facebook, the congress representative is seen using bigotry and anti-Muslim language to describe an event at the capitol. While speaking to her constituents over a Thanksgiving break, the Representative confuses herself as a standup comedian at a nightclub and not a congress representative addressing her constituents.
Describing the incident, Rep. Lauren Boebert implied that she and a staffer took Rep. Ilhan Omar for a terrorist; she continued by saying:
I see a Capitol Police officer running hurriedly to the elevator. I see fret all over his face. And he’s reaching. The door is shutting. I can’t open it.”
“What’s happening? I look to my left and there she is, Ilhan Omar, and I said, ‘Well she doesn’t have a backpack, we should be fine,'”
Soon after the story surfaced on social media, the Republican Representative was faced with a backlash, eventually leading her to make a public apology for her racist slur. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives issued a joint statement in which they called such repetitive actions by the Representatives profoundly offensive and concerning.
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Representative Ilhan Omar did not shy away from voicing her opinion on the matter and stated that such Islamophobic remarks are no laughing matter and demanded action from other congressional leaders. In a tweet, Ilhan Omar implied that the story was fabricated as “This buffoon looks down when she sees me at the Capitol.”
In response to widespread condemnation, Boebert released a statement, “I apologize to anyone in the Muslim community I offended with my comment about Rep. Omar. I have reached out to her office to speak with her directly. There are plenty of policy differences to focus on without this unnecessary distraction.”
Unsurprisingly, this is not the first time the South Colorado Republican Representative has used the term “Jihad Squad.” According to CNN, Boebert has referred to other democratic members of Congress as being members of the “Jihad Squad.”
Danger to Minorities:
Racism and bigotry of any sort emanating from the halls of Congress is especially concerning, and many have called for it to be confronted and condemned, particularly if it is coming from esteemed halls of Congress, which is the heart of the country’s democracy.
Representative Ilhan Omar has also called the event deeply concerning for not just her safety but of the safety of all the Muslims living in the States, fearing normalization of such bigotry, the Representative has called for condemnation of all levels.
The left is no stranger to such hate speech being spewed from the right. In a recent event, another far-right Republican, Paul Gosar of Arizona, was seen depicting killing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, another leading progressive, and threatening Joe Biden.
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Ilhan Omar Profile:
Ilhan Omar represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, which includes Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs. Rep. Omar was sworn into office in January 2019, making her the first African refugee to become a Member of Congress, the first woman of color to represent Minnesota, and one of the first two Muslim-American women elected to Congress.
Boebert Profile:
U.S. Congresswoman Lauren Boebert is serving her first term as the Representative for Colorado’s Third Congressional District. A citizen legislator, Congresswoman Boebert had never held public office prior to her 2020 Congressional victory.