Members of the so-called squad of far-left House Democrats went ballistic on social media on Wednesday after a Republican CNN contributor referred to Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota as a mouthpiece for terrorism.
Among those who lost their cool was Democratic Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who called on one of the network’s few conservative voices to be silenced for displaying what she claimed was “blatant Islamaphobia.”
Numerous network hosts and guests were discussing Omar when political analyst Scott Jennings jabbed the Democrat.
“I am surprised that in the year of our Lord 2024, there is a public relations agent for Hamas sitting in the United States Congress,” Jennings said in a brief clip that went viral on the social media platform X.
.@ScottJenningsKY absolutely shredded Ilhan Omar after her appearance on CNN 🔥🔥@AbbyDPhillip: “Scott, were you surprised to hear her say pretty clearly she would support President Biden in November? And some of her colleagues, I’m pretty sure, wouldn’t say that today.”… pic.twitter.com/UrKbBYR9Vu
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) March 13, 2024
According to the far-left outlet The Daily Beast, the CNN panel had been discussing Omar’s interview with network host Abby Phillip before Jennings’ comment.
In that interview, the congresswoman said she supported President Joe Biden’s re-election bid but criticized the U.S. government’s stance on supporting Israel in its ongoing war against Islamic terrorism in Gaza.
Omar is a Somali-born Muslim and a frequent critic of American foreign policy as it relates to the Middle East.
Do you think Jennings’ comment was “Islamophobic”?
Two days after the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel in which Hamas killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, the congresswoman lashed out at the Jewish state in a thread on X.
In the Oct. 9 posts, she demanded an end to Israel’s “occupation and systematic apartheid” and accused it of committing a “war crime” in its military response to the Hamas attack.
Jennings’ jab at the congresswoman sent her fellow “squad” Democrats into a frenzy.
Ocasio-Cortez shared the clip and commented, “How on earth is this kind of blatant Islamophobia so casually accepted without pushback? This is shocking.”
How on earth is this kind of blatant Islamophobia so casually accepted without pushback? This is shocking. https://t.co/ENMPOMIGID
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 14, 2024
Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts also threw a fit.
“Blatant Islamophobia has no place in our society — let alone on primetime TV,” Pressley said in a post on X. “It’s dangerous, unacceptable, and cannot be normalized.”
Blatant Islamophobia has no place in our society — let alone on primetime TV.
It’s dangerous, unacceptable, and cannot be normalized.
Got your back, @IlhanMN. https://t.co/Q2evYTdDBD
— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) March 14, 2024
Democratic Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri also reacted with anger, saying, “Scott Jennings’ comments are reminiscent of the anti-Muslim bigotry we saw in the George Bush post-9/11 era.”
“It is disgusting and must not be normalized,” Bush added. “CNN should denounce this hateful, dangerous and blatant Islamophobia immediately.”
Scott Jennings’ comments are reminiscent of the anti-Muslim bigotry we saw in the George Bush post-9/11 era.
It is disgusting and must not be normalized. CNN should denounce this hateful, dangerous and blatant Islamophobia immediately. https://t.co/RVOBTm7u8Z
— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) March 14, 2024
Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York, a male member of the so-called squad, also rented with apparent outrage.
“Scott Jennings’ comments are disgustingly racist and Islamophobic. Comments like this, especially on national news, are extremely dangerous and fuel anti-muslim hate crimes,” Bowman wrote.
Scott Jennings’ comments are disgustingly racist and Islamophobic. Comments like this, especially on national news, are extremely dangerous and fuel anti-muslim hate crimes.
CNN should never have him on again!
This hatred is unacceptable and cannot be normalized. https://t.co/6vuIObqb8l
— Rep. Jamaal Bowman Ed.D. (@JamaalBowmanNY) March 14, 2024
“CNN should never have him on again This hatred is unacceptable and cannot be normalized,” the Democrat concluded.
