Democrats clash over anti-Semitism resolution in response to Omar comments

Tensions between House Democrats spilled into public Wednesday as members debated whether the House should pass a resolution condemning anti-Semitism. The resolution came in response to recent comments by freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, who suggested pro-Israel political organizations "push for allegiance to a foreign country." The Democratic leadership originally crafted a resolution for a vote this week that did not mention Omar by name but broadly condemned anti-Semitism, including accusations that Jews have "dual loyalty" to Israel. But the timing of the vote – as well as the resolution's contents – remained unclear as some black and progressive members argued that the resolution was unnecessary, or should at least contain broader condemnation of hateful ideology. Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-Michigan, said, "I think if we're gonna do a resolution, it must be inclusive of all the behavior that we find unacceptable." But, she added, "for us to go out just because a member said something and put a resolution – I just don't see the value in that."