Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Lauren Boebert Apologizes for Ilhan Omar 'Backpack' Joke and QAnon Rep Is Not OK With It

Lauren Boebert Apologizes for Ilhan Omar 'Backpack' Joke and QAnon Rep Is Not OK With It
OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images // Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images // Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

A House GOP member has fired yet another salvo in its onslaught of reprehensible rhetoric against Democratic members. This time, the remark came from far-right Congresswoman Lauren Boebert of Colorado, who likened Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota—one of the first Muslim women ever elected to Congress—to a suicide bomber.

Boebert made the remark in comments to constituents, once again referring to Omar as a member of the "Jihad Squad" just days after berating her on the House floor.


Watch below.

Boebert said:

"I was getting into an elevator with one of my staffers and he and I were leaving the Capitol, we're going back to my office and we get in the elevator and I see a Capitol Police officer running hurriedly to the elevator. I see fret all over his face. And he's reaching. The door is shutting. I can't open it. What's happening? I look to my left and there she is, Ilhan Omar, and I said, 'Well she doesn't have a backpack, we should be fine.'"

She continued to brag about belittling Omar while the two were supposedly trapped in an elevator:

"So we only had one floor to go and I say, do I say it or do I not? And I look over and I say, 'Look, the jihad squad decided to show up for work today.' Don't worry, it's just her staffers on Twitter that talk for her. She's not tough in person."

Americans across the country decried Boebert's comments, including Omar herself, who said the exchange in the elevator never happened and called on Congressional leadership to reprimand Boebert.


Just earlier this month, Congress voted to strip GOP Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona of his committee assignments for posting an edited cartoon of him killing Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. Earlier this year, House members did the same for far-right Congresswoman and prominent conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, after Facebook interactions before her election exposed her support for the execution of her colleagues.

Boebert soon issued a widely-panned public apology—not to Omar, but to those she offended—for the remarks.

While most of her critics were Democrats, Congresswoman Greene also spoke against the apology, saying it wasn't necessary in the first place.

In a lengthy follow-up thread, Greene then proceeded to call Omar a terrorist sympathizer and repeated the baseless claim that she married her brother.

Greene's vicarious double-down on Boebert's remarks generated further outrage.





Some deemed Greene's tweet to be yet another violation of Twitter's terms of service, and called on her to be barred from the site.




In a joint statement, House Democratic leadership condemned Boebert's remarks and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's "repeated failure to condemn inflammatory and bigoted rhetoric." It's unclear if further action will be taken.

More from People/lauren-boebert

Tom Holland and Zendaya
James Devaney/GC Images

Tom Holland Swiftly Corrects Reporter Who Called Zendaya His 'Girlfriend'—And Fans Are Obsessed

Some love is quiet and unassuming, known mostly to those in love and few else.

Actors Tom Holland and Zendaya have been largely quiet about their engagement, but when the Spider-Man actor appeared recently at a press event, he was more forthcoming about his relationship status.

Keep ReadingShow less
Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel on each other's shows
@jimmykimmel/Threads

Jimmy Kimmel And Stephen Colbert Unload On Trump In Rare Crossover Event As Guests On Each Other's Shows

Late-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert were each other's guests in a special crossover event on Tuesday and took the opportunity to call out "son of a b*tch" President Donald Trump, who has used his influence in attempts to silence them for criticizing him and his MAGA movement on the air.

Last week, ABC announced it would end its suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! just a week after Trump pushed to get host Jimmy Kimmel off the air following comments Kimmel made about the assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk. ABC had had internal discussions with Disney, which saw a wave of subscriber cancellations in the wake of Kimmel's suspension.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tina Turner
Christian Charisius/picture alliance via Getty Images

A Massive Sculpture Of Tina Turner Was Just Unveiled—And It's Going Viral For All The Wrong Reasons

When it comes to entertainment legends, the late singer Tina Turner is right at the top of the pantheon.

And fittingly, the songstress' hometown of Brownsville, Tennessee, wanted to pay tribute to her legacy with giant statue of the icon.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ted Cruz; Marjorie Taylor Greene
(L-R) Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Ted Cruz Clashes With 'Crazy' MTG Over Her Cryptic Post Alluding That 'The Jews' Are Trying To Kill Her

Texas MAGA Republican Senator Rafael "Ted" Cruz raised eyebrows when he attacked Georgia QAnon/MAGA Republican Representative and conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene (MTG) for being antisemitic.

MTG has promoted some antisemitic conspiracy theories in the past, like Jewish space lasers that control the weather or start wildfires, but this time people are calling Cruz out for reaching in an attempt to discredit the Georgia Republican and protect Trump from what's being concealed in FBI, Department of Justice, and court records relating to the indictment of Jeffrey Epstein on charges of sex trafficking of minors.

Keep ReadingShow less
​Screenshot of Zohran Mamdani; Donald Trump
CNN; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Zohran Mamdani Claps Back After Trump Threatens To Withhold Federal Funding To NYC If He Becomes Mayor

Zohran Mamdani—the Democratic Socialist New York City mayoral candidate who stunned the establishment with a seismic win for progressives that has reverberated across the country—criticized President Donald Trump's threats to withhold federal funds if Mamdani wins November's election.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump called Mamdani a "New York City Communist" and said he "will prove to be one of the best things to ever happen to our great Republican Party."

Keep ReadingShow less