Ilhan Omar has condemned Lauren Boebert for Islamophobic comments and questioned an interaction Boebert claimed occurred in the Capitol building.
At a campaign event, Boebert, who is the Republican representative for Colorado’s Third Congressional District gave a speech in which she told the audience about a supposed interaction she had with her fellow congresswoman Omar.
Over the Thanksgiving break, Lauren Boebert said she was recently in a Capitol elevator with Ilhan Omar when a fretful Capitol police officer ran up.
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) November 25, 2021
Lauren Boebert said: “Well, she doesn’t have a backpack. We should be fine.”
Boebert then called Ilhan Omar, “jihad squad.” pic.twitter.com/Y7f0nFbnud
Boebert said: “So the other night on the House floor was not my first jihad squad moment. So I was getting into an elevator with one of my staffers.
“And he and I are - we’re leaving the Capitol. We’re going back to my office and we get in the elevator and I see a Capitol Police officer running hurriedly to the elevator.”
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Boebert said the officer had a look of “fret” on his face and was reaching towards the elevator as the doors were closing.
She continued: “I look to my left and there she is, Ilhan Omar. And I said, well she doesn’t have a backpack. We should be fine.”
Next, Boebert bragged about calling Omar the “jihad squad” and people in the audience could be heard laughing.
However, her version of events have been discredited by Omar who said that no such interaction occurred and she’s making it up because “bigotry gets her clout”.
Fact, this buffoon looks down when she sees me at the Capitol, this whole story is made up. Sad she thinks bigotry gets her clout.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) November 26, 2021
Anti-Muslim bigotry isn’t funny & shouldn’t be normalized. Congress can’t be a place where hateful and dangerous Muslims tropes get no condemnation. https://t.co/S1APT7RbqW
In a tweet, Omar wrote: “Fact, this buffoon looks down when she sees me at the Capitol, this whole story is made up. Sad she thinks bigotry gets her clout.
“Anti-Muslim bigotry isn’t funny & shouldn’t be normalized. Congress can’t be a place where hateful and dangerous Muslims tropes get no condemnation.”
Boebert’s comments have been widely condemned for being racist, Islamaphobic and bigoted.
If a member of Congress leveled vile stereotypes like this about Jewish or Black colleagues, they would be stripped of their committees, censured, or worse. But Islamophobia — even of a glaring variety — gets a pass. https://t.co/i8LhbE4NPw
— Nathan Lean (@nathanlean) November 25, 2021
Completely disgusting bigotry. Has no place in our country, much less the halls of Congress. https://t.co/jJyOmUdxpZ
— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) November 25, 2021
Lauren Boebert is a racist, which comes as a surprise to no one. https://t.co/DWyfuAcd6y
— Jacob Kimbarow (@JacobKimbarow) November 25, 2021