A group of Islamic lawmakers Tuesday night announced they are talking to the Democratic leadership about how they think GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert should be punished for comments she made about Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar being a suicide bomber.
Flanked by fellow Democratic Reps. Andre Carson of Indiana and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ms. Omar of Minnesota, told reporters that Ms. Boebert should be held accountable for her actions. Rep. Jamaal Bowman, New York Democrat, attended “in solidarity.”
The Democratic lawmakers want their leadership to take action against Ms. Boebert but would not specify what they are recommending to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her team.
House Democrats moved to censure and remove from his committee assignments Republican Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona just over two weeks ago for a cartoon-style video portraying a sword battle that showed him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York Democrat.
Democrats also used their majority to remove Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Republican, from her committees early in the year over what they saw as offensive Facebook posts made prior to her time in office.
Asked if she thinks expelling Ms. Boebert would be the fitting punishment, Ms. Omar replied, “I think it’s appropriate for us to ask the question should such behavior be allowed and is it becoming of a member of the House to behave this way.”
She added, “When that question is answered, then the appropriate action can be taken.”
Ms. Omar, who played a voicemail of a death threat she said she received in response to the uproar about her, says Ms. Boebert lied to a group of supporters about her in a video clip that surfaced last Thursday.
In the video, the first term Colorado Republican lawmaker told the crowd she was with Ms. Omar, who was born in Somalia and is one of two Muslim women serving in Congress, inside a Capitol Hill elevator.
Ms. Boebert claimed to her supporters that a nearby police officer appeared concerned Ms. Omar may be a terrorist and so she jokingly quipped, “She doesn’t have a backpack. We should be fine.” She also called Ms. Omar a member of the Capitol Hill “Jihad Squad” with other liberal Democratic lawmakers.
Ms. Omar claims Ms. Boebert previously “falsified” a story that she would blow up the Capitol.
“She said my colleagues and I are politicians with suicide belts strapped to their bodies,” Ms Omar said.
Ms. Boebert and Ms. Omar attempted to reconcile with one another on Monday on a phone call but the phone conversation apparently escalated matters further.
Ms. Boebert tweeted a fundraising pitch Tuesday to her supporters saying, “The Left has launched unprecedented attacks on me these past few weeks. They are trying to stop me from being your voice! I won’t back down. If you want us to be able to keep up this fight for freedom — pitch in $17.76 or more.”
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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