Another freshman member of Congress is weighing in on embattled Minnesota Democrat Ilhan Omar.
Houston Democrat Lizzie Fletcher, who unseated Republican John Culberson last November released a statement criticizing President Trump for his comments about Omar:
“The president’s attacks on Representative Omar are not only inappropriate they are irresponsible. His use of 9/11—a moment of national tragedy and national unity—as the basis for a divisive political attack is unworthy of the office he holds.
“His attack puts Representative Omar at risk, and it sows division and Islamophobia that is dangerous for our country.”
President Trump released a video tweet on Friday, splicing video of Congresswoman Omar with pictures of the 9/11 attacks, along with the words “We Will Never Forget.”
Fletcher – who represents the diverse 7th Congressional District stretching from the Cypress area down through Bellaire - adds, “Bigotry and hate in the form of Islamophobia run counter to our fundamental values—as a community of inclusion and collaboration, and as Americans of many religions who cherish the right to free exercise. The same holds true for bigotry in all forms, and we must work together to combat it wherever we see it.”
Representative Omar has come under fire from members of both parties for some of the comments she has made since she entered Congress.
The most recent controversy started when Omar obliquely referred to the 9/11 terrorists as “some people who did something.”She has also been criticized for her anti-Israel stance, where she suggested lawmakers who accepted money from pro-Israel lobbies were “pledging allegiance” to another country.Those comments prompted a House resolution to condemn anti-Semitism, but it was later revised to decry bigotry in general.
Omar’s 9/11 comments sparked a fiery response from Houston Congressman Dan Crenshaw. The freshman Republican who won the seat vacated by Ted Poe’s retirement tweeted, “First Member of Congress to ever describe terrorists who killed thousands of Americans on 9/11 as 'some people who did something.Unbelievable.”
Crenshaw is a decorated Navy SEAL who deployed multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan.He also lost an eye to an improvised explosive device.
Crenshaw has likewise drawn criticism from congressional Democrats like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who suggested he does not support the 9/11 victims because he has not signed onto a victims’ compensation bill.During an interview on Fox News, Crenshaw said “AOC’s” comment is “almost not worth” a response.