Ilhan Omar faces flurry of criticism after campaign event with Hasan Piker
House Democrats defend Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar as she faces federal investigations and scrutiny over her immigration history and finances. chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reports on the growing backlash from local Somali-American voters after Omar campaigned with influencer Hasan Piker. contributor Ben Domenech analyzes the political fallout for Democrats.
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Days before an election, with Minnesotans voting on crime, prices and the future of their neighborhoods, Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar had to decide who she would stand beside. She chose the far-left streamer, Hasan Piker.
This is a man who said “America deserved 9/11.” He called Hamas “a thousand times better” than Israel and said he would vote for Hamas “every single time.” He called Orthodox Jews “inbred,” waved off Hamas’s treatment of women and gay people as domestic policy he doesn’t care about, and warned this summer that if American Jews keep supporting Israel, someone “is going to come around and take action.”
Omar knew all of it. Everyone did.
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Before Monday night, when she appeared for a live conversation and Q&A event in Minneapolis titled “I’m the Host Now!”, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas called her decision to participate “a betrayal of Jewish Minnesotans.” Her district includes St. Louis Park, long the center of Jewish life in this state. Her own party’s Jewish caucus said Piker’s brand of hate has no place in Minnesota. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, called his statements reckless and unacceptable. Rep. Angie Craig, Rep. Betty McCollum, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and state Sen. Ron Latz all spoke out. Democratic leaders privately urged her to cancel.
Omar’s answer? Her campaign said the Democratic Party is a “big tent” — and she walked out on stage on Oct. 26, anyway.
Ilhan Omar has had years to show Minnesota what kind of representative she is. Last Monday, she answered the question herself.
Once there, Piker called Republicans “terrorists.” Omar called the GOP the “pedophile protection party.”
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Let’s be clear about what this was. Not an old clip dug up by an opposition researcher. Not a careless remark from a decade ago. It was a deliberate decision, made over the objections of her own party and her own Jewish constituents, at an event built to turn out votes, hosted by state Sen. Omar Fateh, a member of the Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America.
Rep. Omar didn’t stumble into this. She calculated that a sold-out crowd was worth more than the trust of the Jewish families she represents. That isn’t a lapse in judgment. It is her judgment.
My opponent, Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar calculated that a sold-out crowd at an event was worth more than the trust of the Jewish families she represents. That isn’t a lapse in judgment. It is her judgment. (Getty Images)
And it fits. This is a congresswoman who has already had to apologize for trafficking in antisemitic tropes, who treats half the country as an enemy and calls it courage.
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I spent 30 years with the Minnesota State Patrol. In law enforcement, you learn that character shows in what someone does after they’ve been warned: whom they trust, what they tolerate, whether they change course or double down.
Omar was warned. She doubled down.
Minnesota’s Fifth District deserves better. The district is home to families worried about violent crime, grocery bills, rent and whether their kids will have the opportunities they did. It is also home to immigrants who came here because they believe in America and to Jewish Minnesotans who should never have to wonder whether their own congresswoman takes threats against them seriously.
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During my time with the State Patrol, I never asked anyone’s party before responding to a crash. Public service means serving everyone — including the people who didn’t vote for you.
I’m a Republican, and I won’t pretend otherwise. I believe the border must remain secure, violent criminals and fraudsters must be held accountable, families need relief from the cost of living, and police officers deserve support, not contempt. I believe America is worth defending.
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But I don’t believe the people who disagree with me are terrorists. You can fight hard for your principles without calling millions of your fellow citizens enemies — and without sharing a microphone with a man who says his country deserved to be attacked.
Ilhan Omar has had years to show Minnesota what kind of representative she is. Last Monday, she answered the question herself.
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Now voters get to answer it. We can choose public safety over political theater, accountability over excuses, and respect for our neighbors over endless division.
Ilhan Omar made her choice. On Nov. 3, the Fifth District gets to make ours.
