Lawmakers from both parties have condemned the attack on Ilhan Omar after the Minnesota congresswoman was sprayed with an unknown substance during her town hall on Tuesday night in Minneapolis.
In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, the House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, responded to comments from Donald Trump who quipped that “she probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.”
Jeffries countered: “That’s a disgusting comment and the president’s lies and misinformation continue to fan the flames of these types of violent incidents.
“Ilhan Omar, of course, is a strong, courageous, hardworking public servant. This should have never happened,” he continued.
Trump has long targeted Omar, who arrived in the US as a refugee as a child and has been a citizen for more than 25 years. His xenophobic attacks on her have ramped up in recent weeks as he has targeted Minnesota’s Somali community. He recently called for her to be “sent back to Somalia” in a post on Truth Social.
After the attack, lawmakers have directly blamed Trump’s rhetoric.
Jasmine Crockett, the Democratic representative from Texas, said in a social media post that she was “disgusted” and “outraged”. “Let’s be clear: nonstop hate and dangerous rhetoric from Trump and his allies has fueled this type of violence.”
The Minnesota representative Angie Craig said she was “relieved that my colleague Ilhan is safe”.
“The rise in political violence in our state must stop,” she posted on X. “We are better than this Minnesota.”
Chris Van Hollen, a Democratic senator of Maryland, said he was “relieved” that Omar was not injured. “But Trump’s response was shameful – & Republicans should say so. His baseless & racist attacks against her have no doubt endangered her. His inability to condemn the attack is appalling,” he wrote on X.
Greg Landsman, a Democratic representative from Ohio, said “the rhetoric against a sitting member of Congress is un-American” and leads to more violence. “Everyone, regardless of political affiliation, should approach this moment with humility and grace. That’s how we break this cycle of division and hate.”
Republicans have also spoken out against the apparent act of political violence. The South Carolina Republican Nancy Mace wrote that she was “deeply disturbed” to learn that Omar was attacked at the town hall.
“Regardless of how vehemently I disagree with her rhetoric – and I do – no elected official should face physical attacks. This is not who we are.”
Don Bacon, a representative of Nebraska, said on social media: “Political violence is always wrong. We always have the right to free speech and to petition the government, but political violence must be dealt with sternly.”
He added that the attacker “needs to spend sometime [sic] behind bars”.
Omar is the second lawmaker of color to be physically attacked in the last week. The Florida representative Maxwell Frost said he was punched in the face on Friday at the Sundance film festival in Utah by a man who said Trump would deport him.
