House progressives are reportedly preparing a statement urging for Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) to be stripped of her committee assignments, following her refusal to publicly apologize to Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) after insinuating that the Minnesota Democrat is a terrorist, according to Politico.
In the past week, Boebert has refused to apologize to Omar after telling a false story about getting into an elevator at the Capitol with a Capitol Police officer and supposedly joking that “the jihad squad decided to show up for work today” when Omar entered. She also claimed she told the officer that they were safe because Omar wasn’t wearing a backpack.
On Monday, Omar hung up on Boebert after the far-right lawmaker repeated her non-apology — saying that she apologizes to the Muslim community for her remarks, but not to Omar herself — over the phone. In a statement issued hours after the call, Omar said that she ended the “unproductive” call after Boebert “refused to publicly acknowledge her hurtful and dangerous comments” and “instead doubled down on her rhetoric.”
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has been reluctant to condemn Boebert thus far. In a statement last week, McCarthy said that Boebert “apologized for what she said” and that he spoke to Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) “so that Congress can get back to talking to each other and working on the challenges facing the American people.”
Although House Democratic leadership has yet to finalize any actions it would take against Boebert, there have been talks of a resolution condemning Islamophobia. Democratic leaders, however, are hoping for GOP leaders to take action against Boebert.
During a press conference on Tuesday evening, Omar revealed a death threat she received as a voicemail while urging House Republican leaders to take action against “anti-Muslim hatred.” Omar said she received it hours after she hung up on Boebert in a call the day before and that the voicemail is among hundreds of such messages she has received since joining Congress. Omar added that condemning the recent Islamophobic attacks against her shouldn’t be a partisan issue.
“It is time for the Republican Party to actually do something to confront anti-Muslim hatred in its ranks and hold those who perpetuate it accountable,” Omar said on Tuesday evening.
If Boebert is stripped of her committees, it would make her the third House Republican this year to lose committee assignments. Reps. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) were stripped of their committees over social media posts musing about violence against Democratic lawmakers. McCarthy, however, has vowed to give Greene and Gosar their committee seats back if the GOP retakes the majority next year.
