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.
Over the Thanksgiving break, Lauren Boebert said she was recently in a Capitol elevator with Ilhan Omar when a fretful Capitol police officer ran up.
Lauren Boebert said: “Well, she doesn’t have a backpack. We should be fine.”
Boebert then called Ilhan Omar, “jihad squad.” pic.twitter.com/Y7f0nFbnud
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) November 25, 2021
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.
Fact, this buffoon looks down when she sees me at the Capitol, this whole story is made up. Sad she thinks bigotry gets her clout.
Anti-Muslim bigotry isn’t funny & shouldn’t be normalized. Congress can’t be a place where hateful and dangerous Muslims tropes get no condemnation. https://t.co/S1APT7RbqW
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) November 26, 2021
Saying I am a suicide bomber is no laughing matter. @GOPLeader and @SpeakerPelosi need to take appropriate action, normalizing this bigotry not only endangers my life but the lives of all Muslims. Anti-Muslim bigotry has no place in Congress. https://t.co/A0VxI3uTmH pic.twitter.com/QTmqaGaZrM
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) November 26, 2021
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.
I apologize to anyone in the Muslim community I offended with my comment about Rep. Omar. I have reached out to her office to speak with her directly. There are plenty of policy differences to focus on without this unnecessary distraction.
— Rep. Lauren Boebert (@RepBoebert) November 26, 2021
While most of her critics were Democrats, Congresswoman Greene also spoke against the apology, saying it wasn't necessary in the first place.
Democrats want us censored, shut down, and imprisoned.
Never apologize to Islamic terrorist sympathizers, communists, or those who fund murder with our tax dollars.@IlhanMN and the Jihad Squad are all three and are undeserving of an apology. https://t.co/GPjECyIQFu
— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) November 27, 2021
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.
This is the face of @GOP. Not the new face, the one they were just hiding under their hoods. According to Grand Dragon Marjy here, Democratic congresspeople of color are all terrorists. https://t.co/e4Z0oTj52R
— RichWritesRants (@RichWritesRants) November 29, 2021
Need to open up a movie theater with all that projection! https://t.co/7DIVH7ucya
— Michael Boulos (@Michael_Boulos) November 28, 2021
What a tool. https://t.co/DBGaB0WPwe
— The Other Rob Ryan (@baseballpajamas) November 28, 2021
Majorie Taylor Greene showing why she, along with people like her have no business being in Congress. https://t.co/EPtWsYnpks
— Jerry (@norcalpunkman) November 28, 2021
These Neanderthals think Islamaphobia is funny. It isn’t. I’m sick of them. Reported. https://t.co/Pr9JsAu4UM
— Darlyn2 (@Darlyn215) November 28, 2021
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.
Hey @Twitter @TwitterSafety what is it going to take for you to permanently ban this person? She is inciting violence against other members of the House of Representatives. #BanMTGreene #BanBoebert Do it now! https://t.co/puKDbNM0vJ
— Michael Allbritton (@mallbritton42) November 28, 2021
How is this monster allowed to remain in Congress? We’re giving these thugs free reign and no one, absolutely no one, is doing anything about it. https://t.co/wz3IzMVIxH
— CommonSense (@4counting) November 28, 2021
@Twitter she needs to be banned permanently https://t.co/apBOGncs0j
— Cricket (@CoastalCndn) November 28, 2021
And, how is this not a hate tweet? @Twitter @TwitterSafety https://t.co/Tkm5FC9R9O
— NoNameNeeded (@S4KlB) November 28, 2021
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.