House

Pelosi contacts Capitol Hill security to ensure Omar’s safety after Trump tweet

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Sunday that she spoke with the sergeant-at-arms of the House to ensure the safety of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) after President Trump tweeted a video targeting the congresswoman.

“Following the President’s tweet, I spoke with the Sergeant-at-Arms to ensure that Capitol Police are conducting a security assessment to safeguard Congresswoman Omar, her family and her staff. They will continue to monitor and address the threats she faces,” Pelosi said in a statement.

Pelosi also called on Trump to take down the video, which she called “disrespectful and dangerous.”

“The President’s words weigh a ton, and his hateful and inflammatory rhetoric creates real danger. President Trump must take down his disrespectful and dangerous video,” Pelosi said.

Trump on Friday tweeted a video including images of Sept. 11 and comments Omar made regarding the attack and the safety of Muslims in its aftermath. The video featured footage of the burning World Trade Center and was denounced by many Democrats as Islamophobic and as endangering Omar’s life. 

Omar said during a speech last month at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) that CAIR was founded because “some people did something” and Muslims “were starting to lose access to our civil liberties.”

CAIR was founded in 1994, but Omar’s office has said she meant to say that the organization grew following the 9/11 attacks.