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. Not less than 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 obtained 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. “Nevertheless, 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 help.”
The letter although isn’t 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 might 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 consideration of the establishment we serve in,” Pressley mentioned in an announcement.
“With out significant accountability for that Member’s actions, we danger normalizing this conduct and endangering the lives of our Muslim colleagues, Muslim staffers and each Muslim who calls America dwelling. The Home should unequivocally condemn this incendiary rhetoric and instantly cross this decision. How we reply in moments like these can have lasting impacts, and historical past will bear in mind us for it,” Pressley added.
The decision to take away Boebert from her committee assignments isn’t the primary one in every of its variety. Democrats established the precedent earlier this 12 months 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 complete 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 US, trample on the elemental proper of non secular freedom.”
A press conference was held Wednesday to introduce and focus on the decision with the general public.
“There should be penalties for vicious office harassment and abuse that creates an surroundings so unsafe for colleagues and workers that it invitations dying threats towards them,” Jayapal mentioned. “There should be penalties for elected representatives who visitors in anti-Muslim and racist tropes that make all Muslims throughout the nation much less protected.”
Whereas some Republican leaders supported taking motion towards Boebert, after all others didn’t agree with conserving 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 purpose, claiming it was ok.
“I believe when a member apologizes, you should respect and recognize that and name for the next commonplace, however it begins with a member themselves acknowledging they mentioned one thing they shouldn’t after which transfer on,” Scalise mentioned. “The very fact [is] that on the Democrats’ aspect, they need to solely go after Republicans. They don’t even ask their very own members to apologize for issues that have been mentioned, not to mention go after their very own members.”
Boebert’s non-apology got here after movies have been launched by which she known as Omar, a Muslim Congresswoman, “a terrorist” and member of the “Jihad squad,” not as soon as however on at the very least two separate events.
“Nicely, she doesn’t have a backpack. We ought to be high quality,” Boebert mentioned in a single incident, in response to WCCO. “And I mentioned, ‘Oh look, the jihad squad determined to point out up for work right now.’”
However after all, that’s not all. After an alternate with Omar, as a substitute 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 form 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 advised CNN. “As you already know, once I first obtained to Congress, I used to be frightened that, you already know, 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 handle it. She fulfilled that promise. She made one other promise to me that she’s going to handle this, and I imagine her.”
Watch the press convention beneath:
As of Wednesday GOP Home management has declined to take any motion towards Boebert.
