On Thursday’s episode of “Anderson Cooper 360,” New York Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called the House Republicans to vote to remove Minnesota Democrat Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee for her statements about Israel’s “racial targeting.”
Representative Ilhan Omar said that today’s vote was motivated by retribution, as reported by guest host John Berman. To what extent do you agree with their assessment?
To which Ocasio-Cortez said, “Absolutely, I think this was about retribution. This whole thing was about some juvenile political maneuvering. But I also believe it’s essential to note that it wasn’t just Republicans attempting to appease a base that they’ve spent years priming with racism, sexism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia under Donald Trump. This is significant because Ilhan Omar, the only woman in Congress to wear a hijab, is a refugee and an immigrant, and her unique viewpoint on the House Foreign Affairs Committee would be lost. And that point of view is crucial to American foreign policy.”
She said, “I think that hers is especially magnified with racist targeting since this is what nourished their base in the case of Ilhan Omar.” Trump campaigned on a platform of “sending her back to her country.” This is the same lawmaker he has called for. American is her nationality. She was born in the United States.