Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) told CNN on Mar. 5 that Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) will not be removed from the committee he chairs, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, anytime soon.
“First of all, it’s not up to me, this is done by the [House Democratic] leadership,” Engel told host Erin Burnett. “I don’t know that that would do anything except exacerbate the situation anymore. I’m looking to get rid of anti-Semitism, not looking to punish anybody.”
Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, says that anti-Semitic Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) is not close to losing her seat
Engel adds that he doesn't want to punish Omar for her anti-Semitism because doing so would “exacerbate the situation” pic.twitter.com/JQmaFcTvkP
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) March 6, 2019
On Feb. 27, Omar said she wanted to discuss how pro-Israel politicians have “allegiance to a foreign country.” Engel said in a Mar. 1 statement that Omar’s remarks “were outrageous and deeply hurtful.”
“It’s unacceptable and deeply offensive to call into question the loyalty of fellow American citizens because of their political views, including support for the U.S.-Israel relationship,” Engel said.
The House of Representatives is expected to vote on a resolution condemning anti-Semitism on March 7; however, some argue that Omar should be removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee altogether.
“Just as Republicans stripped King of all his committee assignments, Democrats should keep Omar from serving on any House committee,” Simon Wiesenthal Center Associate Dean Rabbi Abraham Cooper wrote in a March 5 Fox News op-ed. “Stripping a representative of his or her committee assignments is a serious punishment. And it sends an unmistakable message to the American public that there still are red lines in our national discourse.”
