Ilhan Omar already alienating even anti-Trump journalists
Representative Ilhan Omar is going to need every media friend she can scare up in the wake of her disgraceful Jew-hating tweets (followed by phony apologies) and her demonstration of foreign policy ignorance yesterday in a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing. In truth, she has no justification for occupying that much sought-after seat that Nancy Pelosi gave her for unknown reasons. The Republicans, by kicking Rep. Steve King off his committee assignments, have made it awkward for Pelosi and the Dems to keep her in that plum assignment, while President Trump has demanded her resignation from Congress.
But instead of cultivating good relations with reporters, she committed an on-camera sin in the eyes of most working reporters, even those who, like CNN’s Manu Raju, are very anti-Trump.
Watch her ask Mr. Raju, “What is wrong with you?” when he dared ask her about this tweet:
Hi @realDonaldTrump-
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) February 13, 2019
You have trafficked in hate your whole life—against Jews, Muslims, Indigenous, immigrants, black people and more. I learned from people impacted by my words. When will you? https://t.co/EqqTyjkiNE
Her natural ally did not take such treatment kindly on his Twitter feed:
Rep. Ilhan Omar in no mood to talk about her controversies this week. First, she said: “No thank you” when asked to comment on Trump saying she should resign. Second time I saw her, she yelled: “Are you serious?” when I tried to question her.
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 13, 2019
Asked about her tweet this AM attacking Trump for trafficking in hate, she angrily said: “Yes I tweeted, and there’s a response. You can run that. Have a nice day.” And she walked into a meeting
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 13, 2019
Before I even got my question out the second time I saw her, Ilhan Omar angrily said: “Are you serious? What’s wrong with you.” https://t.co/uhQ2stdrsF
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 13, 2019
Raju’s CNN colleague Brian Stelter rose to his defense, carefully couching his criticism of her with the comment that it “is a problem on both sides of the aisle”:
This attitude from @IlhanMN -- don't question me, just quote my tweets -- is a problem on both sides of the aisle. Politicians' tweets aren't a substitute for journalism, they're a starting point for journalism. https://t.co/3m1JgKoGRt
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) February 13, 2019
The resulting cascade of angry tweets vilifying him for daring to criticize her is not making Stelter into a friend either.
If a Trump-hater loses CNN….