Following the latest anti-Muslim remarks made by Rep. Lauren Boebert towards Rep. Ilhan Omar, greater than 400 congressional workers members are calling on Home leaders to “categorically reject the incendiary rhetoric” within the office. At the least 50 Muslim aides signed the letter, which is ready to be launched Wednesday. The letter comes days after Omar shared chilling voicemails and threats she acquired following Boebert’s Islamophobic feedback.
“As passionate public servants, we every have chosen to pursue a profession in public service to work in direction of a greater future for our nation,” the aides wrote in an open letter to the chamber’s management, NBC News reported. “Nonetheless, the latest remarks by Rep. Boebert have heightened the local weather of Islamophobia on the Hill, creating a sense of tension and concern for a lot of Muslim workers, our households, and communities, and leaving many people to look to our congressional leaders for assist.”
The letter although will not be the one factor about which Congressional workers members are expressing their views. On Wednesday, Rep. Ayanna Pressley introduced a resolution condemning Boebert’s Islamophobic rhetoric that may additionally take away her from her present committee assignments.
First reported by The Washington Post, the Pressley decision is cosponsored by nearly a dozen different Home Dems, together with Reps. Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush, Judy Chu, Jesús “Chuy” García, Gomez, Pramila Jayapal, Barbara Lee, Rashida Tlaib, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
“For a Member of Congress to repeatedly use hateful, anti-Muslim rhetoric and Islamophobic tropes in direction of a Muslim colleague is harmful. It has no place in our society and it diminishes the glory of the establishment we serve in,” Pressley stated in a press release.
“With out significant accountability for that Member’s actions, we danger normalizing this habits and endangering the lives of our Muslim colleagues, Muslim staffers and each Muslim who calls America residence. The Home should unequivocally condemn this incendiary rhetoric and instantly move this decision. How we reply in moments like these could have lasting impacts, and historical past will keep in mind us for it,” Pressley added.
The decision to take away Boebert from her committee assignments will not be the primary considered one of its sort. Democrats established the precedent earlier this yr by eradicating Greene from her committee assignments after a number of movies depicted her advocating for conspiracy theories and racism.
“Congress can’t forgo accountability when a Member engages in hate speech that dehumanizes not solely a colleague, however a whole individuals,” the co-sponsors said in a statement last week. “We can’t be complicit as members of this physique, who swore an oath to guard and defend the structure of the USA, trample on the basic proper of non secular freedom.”
A press conference was held Wednesday to introduce and talk about the decision with the general public.
“There have to be penalties for vicious office harassment and abuse that creates an setting so unsafe for colleagues and workers that it invitations demise threats towards them,” Jayapal stated. “There have to be penalties for elected representatives who visitors in anti-Muslim and racist tropes that make all Muslims throughout the nation much less secure.”
Whereas some Republican leaders supported taking motion towards Boebert, after all others didn’t agree with protecting their very own accountable.
Throughout a GOP convention assembly Wednesday, Minority Chief Kevin McCarthy urged Republicans to not assault one another and to remain united, The Washington Publish reported. Different lawmakers echoed that sentiment together with Minority Whip Steve Scalise who steered that Republicans wouldn’t take motion. He used Boebert’s non-apology tweet as a cause, claiming it was ok.
“I feel when a member apologizes, you should respect and admire that and name for the next commonplace, nevertheless it begins with a member themselves acknowledging they stated one thing they shouldn’t after which transfer on,” Scalise stated. “The actual fact [is] that on the Democrats’ aspect, they wish to solely go after Republicans. They don’t even ask their very own members to apologize for issues that had been stated, not to mention go after their very own members.”
Boebert’s non-apology got here after movies had been launched through which she known as Omar, a Muslim Congresswoman, “a terrorist” and member of the “Jihad squad,” not as soon as however on not less than two separate events.
“Effectively, she doesn’t have a backpack. We needs to be tremendous,” Boebert stated in a single incident, based on WCCO. “And I stated, ‘Oh look, the jihad squad determined to indicate up for work at the moment.’”
However after all, that’s not all. After an alternate with Omar, as an alternative of apologizing Boebert continued her anti-Muslim rhetoric.
Whereas it’s unclear whether or not Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi will take motion after the decision’s introduction, Democrats together with Omar are assured she’s going to take some type of motion towards Boebert.
“I’ve had a dialog with the speaker, and I’m very assured that she’s going to take decisive motion subsequent week,” Omar informed CNN. “As you recognize, after I first obtained to Congress, I used to be anxious that, you recognize, I wasn’t going to be allowed to be sworn in as a result of there was a ban on the hijab. She promised me that she’d deal with it. She fulfilled that promise. She made one other promise to me that she’s going to deal with this, and I consider her.”
Watch the press convention under:
As of Wednesday GOP Home management has declined to take any motion towards Boebert.
