Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis weighed in on the ongoing blowback to a viral speech delivered by Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, saying the controversy-prone Democrat should be expelled from Congress and deported.
A clip from the speech, which was delivered in Somali, was shared on social media by Ambassador Rhoda J. Elmi, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Republic of Somaliland. In a tweet accompanying the video, Elmi accused Omar of using “ethno-racist rhetoric.” The video also included an English translation of Omar’s remarks, which Alpha News has not independently verified.
Somaliland broke away from Somalia in 1991 but is not officially recognized as a country by any other nation, according to a recent Reuters report that examines a Jan. 1 memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Ethiopia and Somaliland. Under this MOU, which is staunchly opposed by Somalia, Ethiopia may recognize Somaliland as a country in exchange for access to the Red Sea, the Reuters report says.
In her viral speech, Omar came down firmly on the side of her home country and allegedly spoke of her desire to use her position in Congress to protect the interests of Somalia.
There has been much debate about the accuracy of the translation accompanying the video shared by Somaliland officials, which Omar has described as “completely off.”
The Daily Wire said it had Omar’s speech independently translated and found that its translation “largely aligns” with the message of the original translation.
The Daily Wire’s translation has Omar saying that she is “working day and night” to protect Somali interests. It adds:
“I got calls from a lot of people saying, ‘Ilhan, you need to talk to the U.S. government; what is the government of the U.S. doing?’ My answer to their question was that the U.S. government will do what we tell them to do about it. We need to be confident in ourselves. We live in this country; it is the country that we pay tax to, and it is the country that one of your daughters is in. As long as I am in the U.S. Congress, no one will take a way in the Somali sea or water. And I will not support the U.S. government in supporting other people to rob us. Rest assured that it will not happen, Minnesota. The lady that you sent to Congress knows about you, and she feels your interest like you all do.”
The popular social media account Libs of TikTok unearthed several clips of Omar purportedly expressing similar sentiments, which led to the hashtag “expel Omar” trending on Twitter Tuesday.
“Ilhan Omar’s appalling, Somalia-first comments are a slap in the face to the Minnesotans she was elected to serve and a direct violation of her oath of office. She should resign in disgrace,” Minnesota Congressman Tom Emmer, who serves as majority whip in the U.S. House, told Alpha News this week.
He then told the Daily Mail Wednesday that he has asked the House Ethics Committee to investigate Omar.
“No sitting member of Congress should be able to blatantly spew anti-American rhetoric and get away with it,” he said.
Other prominent Republicans have called for expelling Omar from Congress, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who wrote: “Expel from Congress, denaturalize and deport!”
“Rep. Omar has a concerning history of anti-American remarks that have no place in the halls of Congress, which is why I supported her removal from the House Foreign Affairs Committee,” added Minnesota Congressman Brad Finstad.
“Might be time to discuss expelling another member of Congress,” said Georgia Republican Mike Collins, referring to the recent expulsion of Republican George Santos.
In posts on social media, Omar has dismissed the criticism lobbed against her as lies and propaganda.
“I am confident that the people I represent will never fall for the lies that are out there to smear me,” she wrote in one post. “They know who I represent and why I fight hard for the Minnesotans than have sent me to Congress.”
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
