Sen. Cotton Calls Rep. Omar 'a Voice for Hamas'

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., on Wednesday accused Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., of being "a voice for Hamas" following her comments on Israel and her Jewish colleagues in Congress.

In an interview with CNN on Tuesday, Omar was asked about a recent tweet of hers that appeared to compare the United States and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban, saying that they had all committed "unthinkable atrocities," and said that they should face "the same level of accountability and justice for all victims of crimes against humanity."

Omar also said that she's "welcomed any time my colleagues asked to have a conversation to learn from them, for them to learn from me," and said, "I think it's really important for these [House] members to realize that they haven't been partners in justice. They haven't been engaging in seeking justice around the world and I think I will continue to do that."

She added, "It is important for me as someone who knows what it feels like to experience injustice in ways that many of my colleagues don't."

She later tweeted that it's the far-right's "mission to turn and twist everything I say until I am completely silenced. Demonizing voices for justice is part of their playbook and it won't work here. I am grateful to colleagues like you who are my partners in our fight for justice and equality at home and abroad."

Cotton responded: "You're a voice for Hamas⁠—not for justice."

In a series of tweets on Wednesday, Omar said that "I am someone who has survived war and experienced injustice firsthand, who is alive today because I was welcomed into this country as a refugee. I know that many of my colleagues—both Jewish and non-Jewish—deeply share that commitment to fighting injustice."

The congresswoman went on to note that "the Black community and the Jewish community have historically stood side-by-side in the fight against injustice and throughout our history we have faced efforts to divide us based on our differences."

She added, "Most of my colleagues across Congress may not be refugees themselves, but fleeing war and persecution only to find a refuge in the United States of America—*is* the Jewish-American experience. This binds us."

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