Rand Paul Flips Script on Omar, Blasts Her for Being Out of Line, Not Trump
Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul blasted Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar on Monday, claiming she’s “unappreciative” of the country that welcomed her as an immigrant and elected her to Congress.
As WAVE pointed out, the libertarian-leaning Republican was asked about a controversial series of tweets from President Donald Trump that appeared to take aim at four progressive freshmen lawmakers: Reps. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts.
“So interesting to see ‘Progressive’ Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly and and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run,” the president tweeted Sunday.
….and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run. Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 14, 2019
….it is done. These places need your help badly, you can’t leave fast enough. I’m sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 14, 2019
“Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how it is done. These places need your help badly, you can’t leave fast enough. I’m sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!” he added.
Trump was roundly criticized for this series of tweets, with media outlets such as CNN, The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times referring to his comments as “racist.”
Moreover, the House was set to vote Tuesday on a resolution condemning the remarks and claiming they were “racist,” Politico reported.
Trump’s comments caught the ire of Omar, among others. The Minnesota congresswoman tweeted Sunday in response to Trump: “As Members of Congress, the only country we swear an oath to is the United States. Which is why we are fighting to protect it from the worst, most corrupt and inept president we have ever seen.”
You are stoking white nationalism bc you are angry that people like us are serving in Congress and fighting against your hate-filled agenda.
“America’s answer to the intolerant man is diversity, the very diversity which our heritage of religious freedom has inspired.” -RFK
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) July 14, 2019
“You are stoking white nationalism bc you are angry that people like us are serving in Congress and fighting against your hate-filled agenda,” she added.
But in addressing the controversy on Monday, Paul didn’t slam Trump. Instead, he criticized Omar, who came to America from Somalia when she was a child.
“I’m sort of dumbfounded how unappreciative she is of our country,” Paul told WAVE.
“She says this is terrible, a place without justice and all this. She’s a congresswoman. She got here as a refugee 20 years ago. She’s elected to Congress. I can’t imagine a better country that elected her to Congress and she badmouths our country.”
Paul, who supports increased legal immigration, noted the story of a Somali family he knows who immigrated to Kentucky around the same time that Omar came to America.
“It’s just this dramatic story of hope and wonder,” Paul said of the family he knows. “Those are the stories, but it’s not this angry story.”
And Omar, he said, deserves to be rebuked for constantly criticizing America.
“She has this bitterness and anger toward the country,” Paul said. “So I think she does deserve a rebuke over trying to say we have a rotten country.”
Paul’s comments came after Omar claimed over the weekend that the U.S. does not live up to its ideal of “liberty and justice for all.”
“I believe as an immigrant I probably love this country more than anyone who is naturally born,” Omar said.
“You ask anyone walking on the side of the street, somewhere in the middle of the world, they will tell you America the great, but we don’t live these values here,” she added, with a chuckle.
“And so that hypocrisy is one that I am bothered by. I want America the great to be America the great.”
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