WASHINGTON, D.C. — Tensions erupted on Capitol Hill when Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) snapped “F*** off” at a journalist after being asked by a Daily Caller reporter about Democratic support for Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an alleged MS-13 gang member recently deported to El Salvador. As the conversation grew tense, Omar’s aide began to hand over a press contact card to end the exchange — but Omar abruptly stopped her and said, “No, don’t give him one.”
The moment, caught on video, reignited scrutiny of Omar’s treatment of the press and her growing pattern of avoiding accountability.
This wasn’t her first such confrontation. A reporter from Jewish Breaking News (JBN) had recently approached Omar over her history of anti-Israel rhetoric — including her infamous 2019 tweet: “It’s all about the Benjamins baby 🎶.” The post, widely condemned as antisemitic for suggesting Jewish money influences U.S. policy, was later deleted after bipartisan backlash.
When the JBN reporter tried to follow up, Omar refused to answer, insisting she only speaks to journalists from her Minnesota district and even asking where the reporter lived. As her aide again reached to hand out a press card, Omar intervened and, after a noticeable hesitation — as if about to say something inappropriate — said, “No, he doesn’t get one because he’s a… uhhh, mean person.” In response, JBN placed a small Israeli flag outside her office door.
Omar’s inflammatory comments have long haunted her. In 2012, she tweeted, “Israel has hypnotized the world,” and in 2019, accused pro-Israel lawmakers of showing “allegiance to a foreign country.” Both remarks sparked bipartisan outrage and were called antisemitic. Though deleted, her post–October 7 support for pro-Hamas students and her vilification of Israel continue to draw fire.
With Omar refusing to denounce a violent gang member and lashing out at reporters, critics say Democrats must finally draw a line.
