House Democratic leaders will introduce a resolution on Wednesday in response to anti-Semitic remarks made by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.).
The resolution is still being finalized, Politico reports. It comes as House Democrats are mired in controversy over comments made by the freshman congresswoman from Minnesota.
At an event in Washington, D.C. last week, Omar said she wanted "to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is okay for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country."
The comment was condemned by many on both sides of the aisle. Rep. Eliot Engel (D., N.Y.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said it was "unacceptable and deeply offensive to call into question the loyalty of fellow Americana citizens because of their political views, including support for the U.S.-Israel relationship. We all take the same oath. Worse, Representative Omar's comments leveled that charge by invoking a vile anti-Semitic slur."
Omar did not back down from her comments, however, and responded directly to criticism from Rep. Nita Lowey (D., N.Y.) in a Twitter thread on Sunday.
"Our democracy is built on debate, Congresswoman! I should not be expected to have allegiance/pledge support to a foreign country in order to serve my country in Congress or serve on committee. The people of the 5th elected me to serve their interest. I am sure we agree on that!" Omar wrote.
Our democracy is built on debate, Congresswoman! I should not be expected to have allegiance/pledge support to a foreign country in order to serve my country in Congress or serve on committee. The people of the 5th elected me to serve their interest. I am sure we agree on that! https://t.co/gglAS4FVJW
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) March 3, 2019
Leading Jewish groups are demanding Omar be removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Signatories to the letter include representatives from the Endowment for Middle East Truth, the Jewish Policy Center, the Committee for Israel, and the National Council of Young Israel.
The Anti-Defamation League wrote Pelosi on Monday to request she "give the entire Congress an opportunity, through a House resolution, to voice its rejection of her latest slur and make clear that no matter what may divide the 435 members of the House of Representatives, they are united in condemning anti-Semitism."
Earlier this month, Omar offered a qualified apology for anti-Semitic tweets. Many of those tweets were quietly deleted last week. In one instance, she quote-tweeted liberal journalist Glenn Greenwald, who was criticizing House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) for threatening punishment against Omar and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.). In response to Greenwald's tweet, she wrote, "It's all about the Benjamins baby." She followed up by accusing AIPAC of paying politicians to be pro-Israel.
Omar has also apologized for a past tweet in which she accused Israel of hypnotizing the world and performing evil acts.