Trump blasts Pelosi, ‘out of control’ Omar in latest attack
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump attacked Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar as an "out of control" purveyor of "hate" speech on Monday before leaving for Minnesota, the state the Muslim American represents.
Writing on Twitter, Mr Trump blasted Ms Omar and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for defending Ms Omar after he tweeted a video on Friday last week suggesting Ms Omar had been dismissive of the 9/11 attacks.
"Before Nancy, who has lost all control of Congress and is getting nothing done, decides to defend her leader, Rep. Omar, she should look at the anti-Semitic, anti-Israel and ungrateful US hate statements Omar has made," he said. "She is out of control, except for her control of Nancy."
The Minnesota congresswoman said on Sunday she had experienced "an increase in direct threats on my life - many directly referencing or replying to the President's video".
"Violent rhetoric and all forms of hate speech have no place in our society, much less from our country's commander-in-chief. We are all Americans. This is endangering lives. It has to stop," Ms Omar wrote in a tweeted statement.
Mr Marc Lotter, an adviser to Mr Trump's 2020 re-election campaign, denied Mr Trump was inciting violence.
"I don't think it is the President who is putting her in danger. It is her ill-thought-out words... to describe the greatest terror attack on the history of United States soil," Mr Lotter told CNN on Monday.
The video tweeted by Mr Trump spliced footage of 9/11 with a clip from a speech Ms Omar gave last month in which she said "some people did something" in reference to the attacks.- REUTERS
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
