On Thursday, far-right representative Marjorie Taylor Greene introduced a resolution calling for the censure of Democrat Ilhan Omar, a frequent target of Republicans. Taylor Greene claimed that a recent speech Omar had given was “treasonous,” and constituted evidence that Omar is an agent working on the behalf of a foreign government.
One small complication: Omar never made the remarks in question.
The fracas began on Saturday when the Minnesota representative spoke at an event held at the Hyatt Hotel in Minneapolis to mark a recently held election in Puntland, Somalia. At one point, Omar, who is Somali American, spoke about a port deal that had recently been struck between Ethiopia and Somaliland, a breakaway republic in Somalia that has not been officially recognized by the international community.
Video of Omar’s speech, which was delivered in Somali, circulated on social media with distorted English captions. The captions made it appear that Omar had said that she and her audience were “Somalians first, Muslims second,” and that “The U.S. government will only do what Somalians in the U.S. tell them to do. They will do what we want and nothing else. They must follow our orders.”
But the Minnesota Reformer, a local outlet, reported on Thursday that the viral videos were inaccurate, citing two independent translations of her remarks that it had commissioned. The outlet noted that people from Somalia are referred to as Somalis, not “Somalians” as the subtitles used. Its reporting was backed up by the Minneapolis Star Tribune, which conducted its own translation of the speech and found significant differences between the videos’ claims and what Omar actually said.
Per the Star Tribune, the relevant part of Omar’s speech actually went as follows: “My answer was the U.S. government will do what we tell the U.S. government to do. We as Somalis should have that confidence in ourselves. We live in this country. We pay taxes in this country. It’s a country where one of your own sits in Congress. As long as I’m in Congress, no one will take Somalia’s sea. And the United States will not support other people to rob us. Rest assured, Minnesotans. The woman you sent to Congress is aware of you and has the same interest as you.”
Omar addressed the issue earlier this week, saying that the online interpretations of her words were “not only slanted but completely off,” and sharing a post on social media purporting to be a more accurate translation of her speech.
That came on the heels of intense backlash. House majority whip Tom Emmer called Omar’s alleged comments “anti-American rhetoric” and said she should be investigated by the Ethics Committee.
“Ilhan Omar’s appalling, Somalia-first comments are a slap in the face to the Minnesotans she was elected to serve and a direct violation of her oath of office. She should resign in disgrace,” he posted on Monday.
Ron DeSantis, Florida governor and onetime Republican presidential candidate, also joined the chorus, suggesting that Omar, who is a naturalized citizen, should be kicked out of the country. “Expel from Congress, denaturalize and deport!,” he wrote on X on Tuesday.
A potential vote on the measure could come as soon as next week, per Politico. If passed, the resolution would also see Omar removed from positions on the budget committee as well as the education and the workforce committee. Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, denounced Greene’s measure as a “frivolous censure resolution, designed to inflame and castigate and further divide us.”
