Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) on Friday told Hill.TV that her constituents were hurt by recent comments from Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), which some have said were anti-Semitic.
“I represent the 9th Congressional District of New York in central Brooklyn, and I can say to you unequivocally that my constituents felt and know the pain of anti-Semitism,” Clarke told hosts Krystal Ball and Buck Sexton on “Rising.”
“They overwhelmingly informed me of the comments of my colleague, and felt very pained by it,” she continued. “If anyone feels aggrieved, feels as though they’re under threat, it is all of our responsibility to make sure that we stand in the gap and say that anti-Semitism under any circumstances is totally unacceptable, that we push back on it.”
“My district right now is struggling with acts of anti-Semitism, individuals being attacked. There are swastikas showing up in communities where Jewish families are living, and it’s all a reminder that we must be vigilant,” she said.
Omar came under fire earlier this month when she appeared to question whether people advocating for Israel were more loyal to that country than the U.S.
The comments drew widespread backlash from Republicans and some Democrats, leading to demands for a House resolution condemning anti-Semitism.
The final resolution passed late on Thursday was broader in scope and condemned “anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, racism, and other forms of bigotry.”
Many Democrats argued the resolution needed to encompass all forms of hatred; however, 23 Republicans voted against the measure, saying it was watered down and didn’t directly address anti-Semitism.
“There are other issues that are addressed in our resolution yesterday around hatred of any kind, bigotry of any kind, and I agree with that as well,” Clarke said. “We have a civil society that’s growing increasingly diverse, and because of the climate that I believe has been allowed to gather particularly under this administration, the deafening silence of Donald Trump in the wake of incidents like Charlottesville, has given license to those who have hatred in their hearts to act upon it.”
— Julia Manchester
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