Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slams Trump in defense of Ilhan Omar

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Thursday slammed President Trump while defending fellow freshman Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar against fresh allegations of anti-Semitism.

“Unlike this President, Rep. @IlhanMN demonstrated a capacity to acknowledge pain & apologize, use the opportunity to learn abt history of antisemitism,+grow from it while clarifying her stance,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez wrote. “I’m also inspired by Jewish leadership who brought her in, not push her out, to heal.

“Lots of people here proclaiming to be ’woke’ trying to police communities on what they are/aren’t allowed to be upset by,” she added. “I’m proud @IlhanMN raised the issue of lobbyist [money] in politics & equally proud of her sensitivity to communities. Both are possible.”

Mrs. Omar was forced by Democratic leaders to apologize Monday for a tweet claiming that some lawmakers’ support for Israel was “all about the Benjamins.”

In her apology, she said she was “grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes.”

Hours after she apologized, Mrs. Omar retweeted a thread defending her claim that campaign contributions from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) buy support for the group’s positions. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez retweeted the same thread Tuesday.

Mrs. Omar, who is Muslim, has repeatedly faced allegations of anti-Semitism since her election. She sparked an uproar in November when she expressed her support for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel for the first time after she was already elected. Since her election, she has been forced to answer for her controversial views on Israel, including a 2012 tweet that read: “Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel. #Gaza #Palestine #Israel.”

Mrs. Omar has repeatedly stated that criticizing the Israeli government is not the same as criticizing Jews.