By: Cristina Marcos – thehill.com – March 4, 2019

Democrats are dealing with a new storm of controversy surrounding freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who for a second time in less than a month has made critical remarks about Israel.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and other top Democratic leaders have drafted a resolution, expected to get a floor vote on Wednesday, to condemn anti-Semitism after Omar’s latest comments suggesting that pro-Israel groups are pushing “allegiance to a foreign country.”

Democrats are showing no signs of removing Omar from her post on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, despite calls from Republicans and some conservative-leaning pro-Israel groups. Doing so would almost certainly spark a backlash from progressives, including allies such as fellow freshman Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).

Since taking over control of the House three months ago, Democrats have largely been united — especially during the shutdown battle with President Trump. But Omar’s remarks have divided them, and Democratic leaders are hoping a vote on the resolution will put the matter behind them.

Omar and Tlaib are the first Muslim women elected to Congress.

Omar said at an event at a Washington bookstore and restaurant last week that critics calling her anti-Semitic were trying to silence debate.

“I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country,” Omar said.

Liberals have instead sought to draw attention to the controversy featuring Islamophobia at the West Virginia statehouse, where an altercation broke out over a poster on display that compared Omar to the terrorists in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

“I’m pretty heartbroken that there isn’t more denunciation of this outward and blatant expression of bigotry and Islamophobia by a state party,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. “[In my opinion,] those who stood up against anti-Semitism a few weeks ago should also be calling out the Islamophobia here, too.”

Tlaib, a progressive firebrand who has also faced scrutiny by the GOP for speaking critically of Israel, came to Omar’s defense. She argued that Omar shouldn’t be accused of anti-Semitism for questioning the U.S.-Israel relationship and the treatment of Palestinians.

“[Omar’s] strength inspires me and so many. She is being targeted just like many civil rights icons before us who spoke out about oppressive policies. As she uplifts my Sity and other Palestinians in the name of justice and peace, she shows us real courage,” Tlaib tweeted.

A copy of the resolution’s text obtained by The Hill does not specifically cite Omar’s comments. It does state that “accusations of dual loyalty generally have an insidious, bigoted history,” and declares that the House “acknowledges the dangerous consequences of perpetuating anti-Semitic stereotypes” and “rejects anti-Semitism as hateful expressions of intolerance that are contradictory to the values that define the people of the United States.”

A vote on the resolution would be the second time in three weeks that the House voted on rebuking anti-Semitism because of Omar.

Last month, Omar apologized after suggesting that U.S. lawmakers defending Israel were motivated by money, writing on Twitter that “it’s all about the Benjamins baby.”

The House adopted a measure offered by Rep. David Kustoff (R-Tenn.) two days later to condemn anti-Semitism as part of a resolution to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen. Kustoff, who is Jewish, proposed it as part of a rarely successful procedural motion used by the minority party to offer final changes to legislation before it passes.

But this time, Omar is doubling down despite calls from House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) and House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) to apologize. Both Engel and Lowey are Jewish.

To see the remainder of this article, click read more.

Source: Pelosi seeks to tamp down anti-Semitism controversy | TheHill