House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) delivered on his promise Thursday to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) from the House Foreign Affairs Committee over her extensive history of anti-Semitism.
Of the 222 Republicans in the House, 218 voted to remove Omar, while three did not vote and one, Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH), voted “present.”
Speaker McCarthy outlined many of the inflammatory and bigoted remarks that Omar has made, including the use of anti-Semitic tropes, comparing the U.S. Military to Islamic terrorist organizations, describing the events of 9/11 as “some people did something,” among numerous other statements. McCarthy also noted that Omar has “never apologized” for many of her remarks.
“We’re not removing her from other committees,” he said. “We just do not believe when it comes to foreign affairs, especially the responsibility of that position around the world with the comments that you make. She shouldn’t serve there.”
McCarthy dismissed claims that Republicans were engaging in a “tit for tat” after Democrats kicked some Republicans off all of their committee assignments.
“If it was tit for tat, we would have picked people, took them off all committees and said nothing about it,” McCarthy explained.
Speaker McCarthy addresses the House vote to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee, saying the move was not "tit for tat."
"We're not removing her from other committees. We just do not believe, when it comes to Foreign Affairs…She shouldn't serve there." pic.twitter.com/Hkm5Xa4kSY
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 2, 2023
“For years, Democratic leadership has failed to hold Rep. Ilhan Omar accountable for her vile, hateful, and dangerous anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric,” the Republican Jewish Coalition said in a statement. “Today, Republicans, under Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s leadership, kept their promise to remove Rep. Omar from the prestigious and crucially important House Foreign Affairs Committee.”
“RJC has long advocated for Rep. Omar’s removal from this critical committee,” the statement continued. “We are gratified that Rep. Omar will no longer be in a privileged position to influence legislation regarding US policy toward Israel and the Middle East.”
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