Ilhan Omar faces censure resolution from Marjorie Taylor Greene over Somalia comments

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) is the latest Democratic member to be targeted with a censure resolution as she faces accusations of “treasonous statements” over the weekend related to Somalia.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) introduced the resolution on the House floor on Thursday to reprimand Omar over remarks she made at an event in Minnesota, accusing Omar of violating her oath of office by putting the interests of Somalis over the United States.

“These statements by Representative Omar clearly violate the oath she took as an elected Member of Congress to defend and protect the United States Constitution,” the resolution states. “By openly admitting her efforts to advance Somalia’s interests using her position as a United States Representative, Representative Omar has revealed herself to be a foreign agent acting on behalf of a foreign government.”

The censure resolution cites a speech given by Omar, the first Somali American to serve in Congress, which the Democratic lawmaker has said was inaccurately translated.

During that speech, Omar vowed to use her position in Congress to fight for Somaliland’s sovereignty as it fights against a deal that would allow Ethiopia to have access to the sea — an agreement that has been widely criticized by other countries over arguments it could destabilize the Horn of Africa region.

MTG going to introduce a resolution to censure Omar over her statements on Somalia

The resolution will be made privileged, I’m told, which would force a vote next week pic.twitter.com/IgqdaDiFMM

— Cami Mondeaux (@cami_mondeaux) February 1, 2024

However, different translations of Omar’s speech went viral over the weekend, prompting an outcry from conservatives who have accused the Democrat of prioritizing Somalia over the United States.

One translation of the speech reported Omar as saying she would ensure the U.S. government “will only do what Somalians in the United States tell them to do.”

“They will do what we want and nothing else. They must follow our orders and that is how we will safeguard the interests of Somalia,” the translation from Ambassador Rhoda J. Elmi, the deputy minister of foreign affairs for Somaliland, reads. “Sleep in comfort, knowing I am here to protect the interests of Somalia from the inside of the United States’s system.”

However, Omar said those remarks were inaccurately translated. In another translation by Abdirashid Hashi, co-founder of the Heritage Institute for Policy Studies, Omar said the government would “do what we ask it to do. We should have this confidence in ourselves as Somalis.”

“While I am in Congress, no one will take Somalia’s sea. The United States will not back others to rob us. So, do not lose sleep over that, O Minnesotans,” Hashi’s translation states. “The lady you sent to Congress is on this, and she is as cognizant of this interest as you are.”

Greene pushed back against Omar’s dispute of the translation, arguing that “her words are her words.”

“I don’t know how her speech and her own words can be falsely translated,” Greene said. “The speech that she gave said that she represents the interests of Somalia here within inside the U.S. government.”

Greene filed the resolution as privileged, meaning action must be taken on the matter within two legislative days — teeing it up for a vote sometime next week. It’s not yet clear whether the motion has the backing of GOP leadership, but Greene said she informed party leaders before she filed the resolution.

“I would love to have her expelled. I’d love to have her deported,” Greene said. “And I think many Americans would agree with that. Unfortunately, I don’t think we have the votes to do that. So I’m hoping that we can at least censure her.”

If the censure resolution is successful, Omar would be the fourth Democrat to be publicly reprimanded by House leadership in the last year alone. Three Democratic members were censured in 2023, including Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Jamall Bowman (D-NY), marking the most censures to happen in a year since 1870.

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Although censures are historically used as a rare form of punishment, the latest string of resolutions has also become increasingly partisan over the last decade. The measures typically pass along party lines by whichever party is in the majority. A simple majority is required to vote to pass a censure resolution.

The frequent use of censure resolutions has prompted pushback from House Democrats, who have accused Republicans of seeking to weaponize the historically rare form of punishment to undermine the credibility of the opposite party.

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