Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called Sunday for President Trump to take down a video he tweeted shaming Rep. Ilhan Omar over her controversial remarks about the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, saying the tweet has put the freshman congresswoman’s life in danger.
The president’s tweet shows the twin towers falling while audio plays of Ms. Omar’s remarks during a speech last month. In the speech, the Minnesota Democrat described the terrorist attack that killed nearly 3,000 people as “some people did something.”
“The President’s words weigh a ton, and his hateful and inflammatory rhetoric creates real danger. President Trump must take down his disrespectful and dangerous video,” Mrs. Pelosi said in a statement Sunday.
“Following the President’s tweet, I spoke with the Sergeant-at-Arms to ensure that Capitol Police are conducting a security assessment to safeguard Congresswoman Omar, her family and her staff. They will continue to monitor and address the threats she faces,” the California Democrat added.
A video of Ms. Omar’s speech, which was given at an event hosted by Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in March, was recently uploaded to the internet and sparked outrage, including among the lawmaker’s colleagues on Capitol Hill.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw said her 9/11 comment was “unbelievable.”
The Texas Republican, a former U.S. Navy Seal, tweeted Tuesday: “First Member of Congress to ever describe terrorists who killed thousands of Americans on 9/11 as ’some people who did something.’ “
Mr. Trump weighed in on Friday, tweeting “WE WILL NEVER FORGET” and shared the video Mrs. Pelosi says is dangerous.
Ms. Omar has received at least one death threat.
Earlier Sunday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said it was a “good thing” the president was calling out Ms. Omar’s belittling comment.
Mrs. Sanders told ABC News that Ms. Omar’s characterization was “disgraceful and unbefitting of a member of Congress.”
She noted Ms. Omar has had a history of controversial remarks, some of which have been characterized as anti-Semitic. The freshman Democrat has criticized pro-Israel lobbying groups.
“It’s absolutely abhorrent the comments she continues to make and has made,” Mrs. Sanders said, questioning why Democrats haven’t spoken out against their colleague.
Rep. Bennie Thompson, Mississippi Democrat, defended Ms. Omar, telling ABC News that the president was seizing on that moment and he didn’t see anything wrong with the speech.
“There are other issues we have to deal with,” Mr. Thompson said Sunday.
Defenders of Ms. Omar said she was trying to stress Muslims aren’t responsible for an act committed by extremists and shouldn’t face discrimination.
In a tweet Friday, Ms. Omar suggested she’s being criticized because she is a Muslim.
She quoted President George W. Bush, who after the 9/11 attacks said, “The people — and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon!”
“Was Bush downplaying the terrorist attack? What if he was a Muslim,” Ms. Omar tweeted.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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