Rep. Ilhan Omar apologizes for tweets after facing accusations of anti-Semitism
Democratic congresswoman's apology came after a flurry of bipartisan criticism; Doug McKelway reports from Washington.
The late-night hosts collectively overlooked the controversy surrounding Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and her tweets that were widely condemned as anti-Semitic.
On Sunday, Omar stirred up controversy after she suggested that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif, only supported Israel because he was paid by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Omar issued an apology after facing a swift backlash from both sides of the aisle.
Omar, however, managed to go under the radar among the late-night comedians. This clashes with coverage Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, received in January after he defended terms like “white supremacy” and “white nationalism” during an interview with the New York Times.
ILHAN OMAR'S MOST CONTROVERSIAL MOMENTS, FROM AIPAC TWEET TO 'NOT 1 DOLLAR FOR DHS' CALL
Instead of addressing the controversy surrounding Omar, “Daily Show” host Trevor Noah took aim at embattled Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Monday night for refusing to resign over his racist medical school yearbook page and his history of blackface, calling him “entertaining” for being the “Michael Scott of politics.”
“Every time he tries to get out of a hole, he just keeps digging himself deeper,” Noah told his audience in reaction to an interview Northam gave to CBS News.
ILHAN OMAR'S AIPAC TWEET SPARKS CONDEMNATION, INCLUDING FROM CHELSEA CLINTON
Omar appeared on “The Daily Show” earlier this month and was asked about her previous tweet where she claimed that Israel has “hypnotized” the world.
“What is important in this conversation is that we separate the land, the people, and administrations. When I talk about what we are going wrong in this country, it’s not because I hate this country, it’s not because don’t see myself as American. It’s because I love this country and because I am an American and I want it to do better,” Omar said. “And so when I talk about places like Saudi Arabia or, you know, Israel, or right now Venezuela, I’m not criticizing the people, I’m not criticizing their faith, I’m not criticizing their way of life. What I am criticizing is what’s happening at the moment and I want for there to be accountability so that the government ... can do better.”
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