WASHINGTON – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has asked security officials on Capitol Hill to safeguard Rep. Ilhan Omar, along with the Muslim congresswoman’s family and staff, in the aftermath of President Trump attacking her on social media over comments she made about the 9/11 terror attacks.
“Following the president’s tweet, I spoke with the Sergeant-at-Arms to ensure that Capitol Police are conducting a security assessment to safeguard Congresswoman Omar, her family and her staff,” Pelosi said in a statement Sunday. “They will continue to monitor and address the threats she faces.”
Pelosi then demanded that the president take down his tweet, which shows a part of a speech Omar delivered last month – which has been criticized for making light of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks – spliced with footage of the World Trade Center burning.
“The president’s words weigh a ton, and his hateful and inflammatory rhetoric creates real danger,” Pelosi said. “President Trump must take down his disrespectful and dangerous video.”
Trump posted the video on Friday and it remains his pinned tweet.
Earlier Sunday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders replied “nothing could be further from the truth” when pressed by “Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace on whether the post could incite violence against Omar, a Minnesota Democrat and one of two Muslim women in Congress.
“That was one of the most horrific moments in American history and for her to talk about it in such a dismissive way is frankly disgusting and abhorrent, and I’m glad the president is calling her out and holding her accountable for it,” Sanders said.