The New York Post issued a harsh reprimand to Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) on its front page for the April 11 paper. It was directed at her reference of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the New York Twin Towers that killed nearly 3,000 Americans as “some people did something.”
Omar made the comment during an event on March 23 at the Council on American-Islamic Relation (CAIR), an organization that has been designated by the United Arab Emirates as a terrorist organization. The remarks caused widespread disapproval and Omar has since complained about the criticism by Fox News and Rep. Dan Crenshaw by maintaining that they were employing “dangerous incitement” against her, reported The Daily Wire.
The New York Post’s cover for Thursday calls out Ilhan Omar for trivializing the 9/11 terrorist attacks as “some people did something” pic.twitter.com/xToghXSGw5
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) April 11, 2019
First Member of Congress to ever describe terrorists who killed thousands of Americans on 9/11 as “some people who did something”.
Unbelievable. https://t.co/IKtoZWWmIT
— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) April 9, 2019
Former FDNY Chief Jim Riches, whose firefighter son, Jimmy Riches died during 9/11, responded to Omar’s comment in the New York Post on Wednesday.
“What Congresswoman Ilhan Omar said about Sept. 11 was disgraceful, she dismissed thousands of people being murdered like it was an everyday occurrence when she said ‘some people did something.'” Said Riches.
“We picked up the bodies and saw how gruesome it was,” wrote Riches. “Those people died a horrible death. We were there for 9 months picking up body parts, pieces.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar Once Traveled With Radical Anti-US Group That Supports Cuban, Venezuelan Socialism
It has been revealed that Omar traveled in November 2017 to Honduras as part of a delegation sponsored by the radical Witness for Peace group.
The organization was formed during the Reagan administration to oppose U.S. policies aimed at stopping the spread of communism, it also supports Cuban and Venezuelan socialism.
The story about Omar’s trip, which took place before she became a U.S. representative, was first reported by the Washington Free Beacon on Feb. 19.
Omar tweeted about the trip in 2017, saying “after traveling to Honduras as part of the Witness for Peace delegation, I’ve returned home with a heavy heart and deep concern for the electoral process and human rights crisis the people of Honduras are enduring.” Shortly afterward, she began urging Congress to end all military and security aid to Honduras.
After traveling to Honduras as part of the Witness for Peace delegation, I’ve returned home with a heavy heart and deep concern for the electoral process and human rights crisis the people of Honduras are enduring.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) November 30, 2017
The congresswoman’s links with the far-left group could raise more questions about her suitability to serve on the House Foreign Affairs Committee as Witness for Peace openly supports revolutionary groups in Latin America and the socialist regimes in Cuba and Venezuela. On Feb. 11, President Donald Trump called for her resignation from the committee after she made controversial comments about Israel that have been described as anti-Semitic.
President Trump on Rep. @IlhanMN: “Her lame apology, and that’s what it was, it was lame, and she didn’t mean a word of it was just not appropriate. I think she should resign from Congress.” pic.twitter.com/6rbPUDdFuz
— CSPAN (@cspan) February 12, 2019
Witness for Peace, which also organizes travel delegations to Cuba, has also called for the return of Guantanamo Naval Base to the country and has described the Trump administration’s tough policies toward the country as an “old unjust, counterproductive Cold War posture of past decades.”
Trevor Loudon, an expert on Marxist groups and the radical left who is a contributor to The Epoch Times, said the group has been supporting revolutionary movements in Latin America since the Reagan era.
“Witness for Peace was there trying to help the revolutionary groups that the American government was trying to suppress. They were working directly to help foreign enemies of America against this country,” he said.
“[They were] sort of an alliance of the religious left, the hard Marxist left, Latin America’s revolutionary movements who are militantly opposed to America.”
He said it was concerning that Omar attended the travel delegation not long before she was elected to Congress and while she was serving in the Minnesota state Legislature.
“Ilhan Omar is connected to many socialist groups in Minnesota but this one is international in scope and very well connected to active revolutionary movements who are working to cause trouble in America,” he said.
“Basically, she has put her loyalty to the revolutionary groups in Latin America over her loyalty to the United States. So how can she be trusted with secrets? How can she be trusted to not promote their policies?”
Epoch Times reporter Janita Kan contributed to this report.