GOP Lisa McClain And Nicole Malliotakis FLIP The Script On Ilhan Omar For Playing Victim

WASHINGTON — A heated debate on the House floor this week laid bare the deep partisan divisions surrounding Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, as two Republican lawmakers forcefully argued that her past statements and conduct disqualify her from serving on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Representatives Lisa McClain of Michigan and Nicole Malliotakis of New York took turns condemning Ms. Omar during a floor session centered on whether she should be removed from the influential panel. Their remarks, delivered in sharp and often emotional terms, accused Ms. Omar of engaging not only in rhetoric viewed as antisemitic and anti-Israel, but also of what they characterized as anti-American statements incompatible with the committee’s responsibilities.

Ms. McClain framed the debate as a question of accountability rather than politics. Speaking from the floor, she rejected arguments that Ms. Omar’s past remarks should be excused with apologies or explanations. “If you break the law and follow due process, there are consequences to your actions,” Ms. McClain said, emphasizing that holding office requires adherence to constitutional standards regardless of party affiliation.

She also pushed back against criticism directed at her personally, saying she was acting in accordance with the oath she took upon entering Congress. “There’s nothing wrong with me,” Ms. McClain said. “I took an oath to defend the Constitution, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.” She accused Democrats of hypocrisy for demanding accountability in some cases while refusing to apply the same standard to members of their own party.

Ms. McClain then yielded the floor to Ms. Malliotakis, who expanded the argument beyond earlier controversies involving Ms. Omar’s comments about Israel and Jewish organizations. Ms. Malliotakis said that, as a fellow member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, she had personally heard Ms. Omar make remarks she viewed as hostile to the United States itself.

According to Ms. Malliotakis, Ms. Omar had equated the United States and Israel with extremist groups such as Hamas and the Taliban — a comparison she called “absolutely unacceptable” for a lawmaker tasked with representing American interests abroad. She also criticized Ms. Omar for attributing political and economic turmoil in Venezuela to U.S. actions rather than to the socialist policies of the late Hugo Chávez and current President Nicolás Maduro.

For Ms. Malliotakis, a New York City native, one of the most serious grievances involved Ms. Omar’s past description of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks as an event in which “some people did something,” a phrase that has drawn repeated condemnation from Republicans. Ms. Malliotakis said such language minimized the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil and was deeply offensive to the families of victims.

Seeking to preempt accusations of selective outrage, Ms. Malliotakis said she had previously voted to remove a Republican lawmaker from a committee over remarks she considered inappropriate, arguing that her stance reflected consistency rather than partisanship. “This is about accountability,” she said, adding that someone with Ms. Omar’s record should not sit on a committee that engages with foreign governments on behalf of Congress.

The debate then broadened beyond Ms. Omar herself. Ms. McClain used her remaining time to criticize federal spending priorities, contrasting what she cited as tens of billions of dollars spent on services for undocumented immigrants with far smaller sums allocated to homeless veterans. Citing figures she attributed to advocacy groups and budget documents, Ms. McClain argued that the federal government was failing those who had served in the military while devoting extensive resources elsewhere.

She called for redirecting funds toward veterans’ mental health care, housing assistance and caregiver support programs, repeatedly asking why such reallocations had not been pursued. “Why don’t we take care of our own first?” she asked, placing responsibility squarely on the Biden administration.

Democrats, for their part, have defended Ms. Omar in past debates, arguing that her comments have been mischaracterized and that efforts to remove her from committees amount to political retaliation. They have also disputed Republican claims about spending figures and priorities, saying the comparisons oversimplify complex budget categories.

The exchange underscored how committee assignments — once a largely procedural matter — have become a flashpoint in a Congress marked by razor-thin margins and escalating partisan conflict. For Republicans, the arguments advanced by Ms. McClain and Ms. Malliotakis were framed as a stand for principle and national interest. For Democrats, the episode is likely to be seen as another escalation in a cycle of punitive measures that risk further eroding institutional norms.

As the House continues to grapple with questions of accountability, speech and representation, the controversy surrounding Ms. Omar appears far from resolved — a reflection of the broader tensions shaping American politics both at home and on the global stage.