On Friday Rep. Ilhan Omar ripped a reporter of taking her words out of context to criticize former President Obama. Omar has since tweeted out audio that confirms she did, in fact, criticize Obama.
Tim Albert of Politico published a piece earlier in the day called, "The Democrat Dilemma." In the article, the Somali-born Democrat freshman did not back down from he rstance on Obama-era policies such as detention centers for illegal immigrant children and the "droning of countries around the world."
SELF-OWN: Ilhan Omar releases audio of Politico interview to show she was misquoted, ends up proving she was quoted accurately instead https://t.co/bHQDLJL2zR
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) March 8, 2019
More on the story from Free Beacon:
As she saw it, the party ostensibly committed to progressive values had become complicit in perpetuating the status quo. Omar says the "hope and change" offered by Barack Obama was a mirage. Recalling the "caging of kids" at the U.S.-Mexico border and the "droning of countries around the world" on Obama’s watch, she argues that the Democratic president operated within the same fundamentally broken framework as his Republican successor.
"We can’t be only upset with Trump … His policies are bad, but many of the people who came before him also had really bad policies. They just were more polished than he was," said Omar without naming Obama specifically. "And that’s not what we should be looking for anymore. We don’t want anybody to get away with murder because they are polished. We want to recognize the actual policies that are behind the pretty face and the smile."
"Exhibit A of how reporters distort words," Omar tweeted on Friday, pushing back at Alberta's piece. "I’m an Obama fan! I was saying how Trump is different from Obama, and why we should focus on policy not politics. This is why I always tape my interviews."
https://twitter.com/Ilhan/status/1104116455224807424
Oh look, she has since deleted the tweet. The tweet included an audio file that confirms Alberta's original reporting.
Exhibit A of how politicians use the media as a straw man to avoid owning what they said.
Your tape...supports what I wrote 100%. So does my longer tape. It's beyond dispute.
Next time, a phone call from your office before the Twitter ambush would be appreciated. https://t.co/eb2grgn5Cd
— Tim Alberta (@TimAlberta) March 8, 2019
There has been pressure from House Republicans and President Donald Trump to strip Omar of her House Foreign Affairs Committee seat. Omar and Rashida Tlaib are the only two Muslim women in Congress.
