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Pelosi Cowers, Dodges Question on Ilhan Omar's Anti-Semitism

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Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is one of the most seasoned politicians in Washington, but it does not take someone with an Ivy League diploma to see right through her when she dodges a question.

When Pelosi was asked by a reporter about questionable comments made by Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar regarding Jewish people earlier this week, she quickly deflected.

“Earlier this week Congresswoman Ilhan Omar …” the reporter started.

“Let’s stay with this and I’ll answer that afterward,” the speaker quickly interjected.

But who can blame Pelosi, as I would imagine it would be incredibly difficult to confront anti-Semitism in her own party.

Omar has repeatedly made comments that could be seen as promoting Jewish stereotypes, usually when criticizing the nation of Israel.

Her latest controversy involves her comments at a panel with fellow Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib about the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Should Pelosi have directly answered the question?

“But it’s almost as if, every single time we say something regardless of what it is we say that is supposed to be about foreign policy or engagement or advocacy about ending oppression or the freeing of every human life and wanting dignity, we get to be labeled something, and that ends the discussion,” Omar said, according to Vox.

“Because we end up defending that and nobody ever gets to have the broader debate of what is happening with Palestine. So for me, I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is okay for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country. And I want to ask, why is it okay for me to talk about the influence of the NRA, of fossil fuel industries, or Big Pharma, and not talk about a powerful lobby?”

This could easily have been interpreted as pushing the “dual loyalty” trope that American Jews are split between their allegiance to the United States and Israel.

In addition, Omar recently put the United States and Israel on the same level as terrorist organizations during a foreign affairs committee hearing with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

“We must have the same level of accountability and justice for all victims of crimes against humanity. We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban,” she tweeted. “I asked @SecBlinken where people are supposed to go for justice.”

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Of course, even then Omar still shamelessly stood by her comments despite backlash from fellow Democrats.

When asked by CNN’s Jake Tapper if she “regrets their comments”, she smugly replied, “I don’t.”

She then doubled down by hinting that her Israel supporting colleagues are “not partners in justice.”

Pelosi has a responsibility to keep her caucus somewhat united, so it is no surprise that she would want to publicly avoid criticizing Omar for her reckless and insensitive behavior.

Making a clear distinction between the Israeli government and Jewish people globally is becoming increasingly difficult for many leftists, and leaders need to be more careful with their language regarding these issues.

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Cameron Arcand is a former writer for The Western Journal.
Cameron Arcand is a political commentator based in Phoenix, Arizona. In 2017 as a school project, he founded YoungNotStupid.com, which has grown exponentially since its founding. He has interviewed several notable conservative figures, including Dave Rubin, Peggy Grande and Madison Cawthorn.

In September 2020, Cameron joined The Western Journal as a Commentary Writer, where he has written articles on topics ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic, the "Recall Gavin Newsom" effort and the 2020 election aftermath. The "Young Not Stupid" column launched at The Western Journal in January 2021, making Cameron one of the youngest columnists for a national news outlet in the United States. He has appeared on One America News and Fox 5 DC. He has been a Young America's Foundation member since 2019.
Location
Phoenix
Languages Spoken
English




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