House overwhelmingly passes broadened anti-bigotry measure

WASHINGTON — The House on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a resolution condemning bigotry and anti-Semitism, a measure seen as an indirect rebuke of statements about Israel made by Rep. Ilhan Omar that fractured the Democratic caucus and set off a furor that party leaders have struggled to contain.

The resolution was initially crafted to address statements by Omar, D-Minn., a freshman Muslim lawmaker who last week infuriated Jewish Democrats by saying pro-Israel advocates in Congress were giving their allegiance to a foreign country.

But it was broadened to condemn bigotry, anti-Muslim rhetoric and racial and ethnic minorities following what were described as raucous closed-door meetings and public objections from some Democrats to singling out one member.

The final version of the resolution did not name Omar.

The move by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was seen as an effort to quell divisions within the party and address concerns by the Congressional Black Caucus and younger Democratic lawmakers.

“It’s not about her. It’s about these forms of hatred,” Pelosi told reporters at her weekly news conference before the vote.

“I do not believe that she understood the full weight of her words. I don’t believe it was intended in any anti-Semitic way,” Pelosi said of Omar.

“But the fact is, if that’s how it was interpreted, we have to remove all doubt.”

Double standard accusation

Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., who is Jewish, disagreed, saying Omar’s name should have been included in the resolution, following several remarks she made over the past two months that he and others interpreted as being anti-Semitic.

“If this member was a Republican, their name would be in this resolution,” Zeldin said.

The resolution passed overwhelmingly, 407-23.

The entire Nevada congressional delegation — Democratic Reps. Dina Titus, Susie Lee and Steven Horsford and Republican Mark Amodei — voted for the resolution.

“I want to be clear, there is no place for any form of hatred, bigotry or intolerance in our county, but especially in Congress,” Lee said.

Some of the state’s lawmakers spoke out against Omar’s comments last month when she said U.S. support for Israel is “all about the Benjamins, baby,” quoting a line from a Puff Daddy song referring to $100 bills. She later apologized for the comment.

Titus said “it is completely unacceptable for anyone to use anti-Semitic slurs, and I’m glad that Congresswoman Omar apologized.” Lee also spoke out against Omar’s comment last month.

Omar has not apologized for her most recent comment, which infuriated Jewish members of the Democratic Caucus and prompted calls for a resolution denouncing her remarks.

But allies of Omar, many of whom are new faces in the Capitol, were outraged that she would be singled out.

The Congressional Black Caucus also refused to back the original resolution, noting the escalating incidents of white supremacy and President Donald Trump’s equivocation over attacks by white nationalists in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017.

Republicans seize on issue

Republicans and Trump, however, quickly seized on the issue and blasted Democratic leaders for not immediately taking actions against Omar.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., noted that he stripped Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, of committee assignments this year after comments he made in which he appeared to support white supremacy.

McCarthy chastised Democratic leaders for failing to immediately reprimand Omar, and Republicans demanded she be removed from the House Foreign Relations Committee, which oversees U.S.-Israeli relations.

Trump also weighed in this week, calling Omar’s comments a “dark day for Israel” and pressuring Democratic House leaders to take action.

When Republicans took to the floor to criticize Democratic leaders, though, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said lawmakers should not be too sanctimonious without standing up to the president for his expressions of bigotry that are made “too often.”

Pelosi sought to tamp down the divide by moving quickly to pass the new broadened resolution. Several Democratic members didn’t receive the final draft of the resolution until shortly before the vote.

Contact Gary Martin at gmartin@reviewjournal.com or 202-662-7390. Follow @garymartindc on Twitter.