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Rep. Ilhan Omar Sees Spike in Death Threats After Trump 9/11 Attack

HeadlineApr 15, 2019

Minnesota freshman Congressmember Ilhan Omar says she’s received a spike in death threats since President Trump tweeted a video juxtaposing her image with footage of the 9/11 attacks. Trump pinned the 43-second video Friday to the top of his Twitter feed with the caption, “WE WILL NEVER FORGET.” Trump’s tweet intercut video of the World Trade Center towers burning with video of Omar speaking about the increasing attacks on the Muslim American community after 9/11. Omar was speaking at a Council on American-Islamic Relations event last month.

Rep. Ilhan Omar: “Far too long, we have lived with the discomfort of being a second-class citizen. And frankly, I’m tired of it, and every single Muslim in this country should be tired of it. CAIR was founded after 9/11, because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties.”

Congressmember Omar’s comments were originally taken out of context and circulated by right-wing media, from The Daily Caller to Fox News. In a statement, Congressmember Omar said, “Since the president’s tweet Friday evening, I have experienced an increase in direct threats on my life—many directly referencing or replying to the president’s video. This is endangering lives. It has to stop.”

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