Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Sunday defended a tweet from Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., that appeared to equate America and Israel with terrorists Hamas and the Taliban — calling it a “hubbub” that “started with right wing news outlets.”
In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Ocasio-Cortez called the criticism of her fellow progressive “absolutely mischaracterized.”
“She was very clearly speaking about the [International Criminal Court] investigations [into alleged Israeli crimes in the Palestinian territories] which name these four actors in two suits,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
“And they named them in context events that happened in Afghanistan with the United States and with Taliban and in Palestine with Hamas and the government of Israel.”
“I believe to assert that this was equating these two I believe was not a generous interpretation whatsoever,” she added.
“This whole hubbub started with right wing news outlets taken out of context,” she charged. “It feeds legitimacy to this right wing vitriol.”
“It absolutely increases that target. And as someone who has experienced that, you know, it's very difficult to communicate the scale and how dangerous that is.”
Ocasio-Cortez noted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had already told CNN that Omar “clarified, we thanked her, end of subject.”
“I think as Speaker Pelosi said, we are putting this behind us and I believe that we will ultimately come together as a caucus.”
Ocasio-Cortez on Thursday had tweeted her disapproval of Democrats’ attack on Omar.
“Pretty sick & tired of the constant vilification, intentional mischaracterization, and public targeting of @IlhanMN coming from our caucus,” she wrote. “They have no concept for the danger they put her in by skipping private conversations & leaping to fueling targeted news cycles around her.”
GOP lawmakers could offer a resolution next week to remove Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Punchbowl News said.
Fran Beyer ✉
Fran Beyer is a writer with Newsmax and covers national politics.
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