Ilhan Omar Pleads Ignorance When Confronted With Allegations of Anti-Semitism: I ‘Wasn’t Aware’ There are ‘Tropes About Jews and Money’

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) claimed she didn’t know about the history behind her past rhetoric — when pressed by CNN’s Dana Bash over the anti-Semitic tropes the congresswoman has previously pushed.

Omar joined CNN’s State of the Union alongside Representatives Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA) to talk about how House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has moved to block all three of them from their Congressional committee assignments. McCarthy already had Schiff and Swalwell removed from the House Intel Committee, and he has pledged to have Omar taken off the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Bash confronted Omar about the accusations that she has repeatedly made anti-Semitic and otherwise controversial comments while speaking about Israel. Bash cited a number of examples, including how Omar once said “Israel has hypnotized the world,” and that America’s support for the country is “all about the Benjamins.”

Asked about these and other instances, Omar — who, Bash noted, previously apologized for her remarks — said, “I might have used words at the time that I didn’t understand were trafficking in anti-Semitism.

“When that was brought to my attention, I apologized. I owned up to it,” she continued. “That’s the kind of person that I am, and I continue to work with my colleagues and my community to fight against anti-Semitism.”

Omar went on to insinuate the Republican push to have her axed from her committee assignments is rooted in bigotry. Schiff defended Omar from the GOP’s anti-Semitism allegations against her, but she again claimed she didn’t know what she was doing when Bash scrutinized her further

Bash: So when you apologized for the “All about the Benjamins” comment, you said, “anti-Semitism is real, and I’m grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes.” What did you learn?

Omar: A lot. I certainly did not, or was not aware, that the word “hypnotized” was a trope. I wasn’t aware of the fact that there are tropes about Jews and money. That has been a very enlightening part of this journey. To insinuate that I knowingly said these things when people have read into my comments to make it sound as if I have something against the Jewish community is so wrong. If you remember when I first got elected to Congress, it was when the FBI report came out about the rise of anti-Semitism. As the Rep-elected, the first op-ed I wrote was on that report, which I talked about how it was important for us as a community to coalesce around the Jewish community and fight against anti-Semitism. I voted for every single resolution. No Republican can say that. Condemning anti-semitism. My work is clear, and the collaboration and work that I do with my Jewish colleagues is very clear…