Democratic leaders call for Omar to apologize for 'anti-Semitic tropes' [View all]

[George II]

Source: CNN

By Kate Sullivan, Ashley Killough and Eli Watkins, CNN Updated 1:36 PM ET, Mon February 11, 2019

(CNN)House Democratic leadership issued a joint statement Monday calling for freshman Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota to apologize for comments they said included "anti-Semitic tropes."

The statement from Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and other members of House Democratic leadership said anti-Semitism had to be called out "without exception."

"Legitimate criticism of Israel's policies is protected by the values of free speech and democratic debate that the United States and Israel share," the statement read. "But Congresswoman Omar's use of anti-Semitic tropes and prejudicial accusations about Israel's supporters is deeply offensive. We condemn these remarks and we call upon Congresswoman Omar to immediately apologize for these hurtful comments."

The Monday afternoon statement came as Omar faced increasing backlash after suggesting Republican support of Israel is fueled by donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a prominent pro-Israel group.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/11/politics/ilhan-omar-aipac-backlash/index.html