Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) faces allegations of ‘treason‘ and demands for her removal from Congress after a contentious speech where she unabashedly proclaimed her allegiance to ‘Somalia first.’ Somaliland Ambassador Rhoda Elmi criticized the speech as ‘regrettably unbecoming’ and ‘lacking in common decency.’
The leaked video of Omar’s January 27 speech quickly went viral, drawing widespread criticism. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) from the far-right accused Omar of using her position to shield those who ‘hate America,’ asserting that Omar is openly prioritizing another country over American interests.
House Majority Whip Tim Emmer, representing a Minnesota district, has called for Omar’s resignation in the wake of these controversies.
‘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,’ Rep. Emmer said in a statement, according to Alpha News. ‘She should resign in disgrace.’
Omar dismissed the criticism as ‘completely misguided,’ asserting that her statement meant her primary focus as a U.S. Congress member is to advocate for the best interests of the Somali community in America. The squad member delivered this message in Somali during a Saturday event in Minneapolis, and the incident was captured on camera and widely shared online.
‘Sleep in comfort knowing I am here to protect the interest of Somalia from inside the U.S. system,’ Omar said, according to a translated version of the video.
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She further expressed support for Somalia’s ‘unity’ against Ethiopia and Somaliland, an unrecognized state viewed as part of Somalia. Additionally, she endorsed Somalia’s pursuit of reclaiming territory around its borders.
Brigitte Gabriel, founder and Chairwoman of ACT for America, remarked on X: ‘Ilhan Omar prioritizes Somalia first, Islam second, and America last.’
‘We hope the house leadership and her caucus will take note of her public conduct, unbecoming a United States Congresswoman nor representative of the august house she serves in,’ Elmi wrote in her lengthy statement posted to X.
Rep. Greene wrote: ‘Terrorist sympathizer Ilhan Omar in her own words: Somalian first. Muslim second. She never mentions America.’
‘She flaunts using her position as congresswoman to protect Somalia’s border while our border is invaded by MILLIONS of illegals who are a danger to America,’ she added. ‘These people hate America and they’re so emboldened by the Democrats’ disdain for our country, they’re not even trying to hide it anymore.’
Oamr said in her speech that ‘the US 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 and that is how we will safeguard the interest of Somalia,’ she adds. ‘We Somalians must have the confidence in ourselves that we call the shots in the U.S.’
‘Together we will protect the interests of Somalia.’
Robby Starbuck, the Ambassador for Americans for Prosperity in Tennessee, accused Omar of ‘openly acknowledging allegiance to a foreign nation and using her government position to prioritize that foreign nation.’
‘This is treason,’ he declared. ‘Ilhan Omar is an agent for Somalia. It’s all out in the open. She should be removed from Congress at the very least. Absolutely insane.’
Calls for Omar’s removal from the U.S. House of Representatives are not new. Her past anti-Semitic comments and demands for Israel to cease defending itself against Hamas in Gaza prompted Republicans to seek her removal, leading to censure resolutions from colleagues.
Omar is a member of the progressive ‘squad,’ along with Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib, who is of Palestinian-American descent. In response to accusations of being ‘Somalia first’ based on her recent remarks, Omar stated, ‘It’s not only slanted but completely off, but I wouldn’t expect more from these propagandists.’
‘I pray for them and for their sanity. No nation state can survive if its states start to get involved in land lease negotiations with other countries without the consent of the federal government,’ she added in a post on X. ‘Somalis in Somalia and in the diaspora are united in that effort and I stand in solidarity with them.’
‘No amount of harassment and lies will ever change that
