After criticizing the legacy of the late Charlie Kirk, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) now faces a resolution in Congress that would remove her from her committee assignments.
Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated during a Q&A session with students at Utah Valley University on September 10. Lawmakers from both parties condemned the killing.
Omar joined host Mehdi Hasan on Zeteo on September 11, where she appeared to mock Kirk and dismiss his work.
“Charlie was someone who once said, you know, guns save lives after a school shooting,” Omar said. She also accused him of having “downplayed slavery” by opposing Juneteenth and claimed he was not genuinely interested in civil debate.
“You have people like Trump who have incited violence,” she added. “These people are full of sh*t.”
The remarks drew immediate backlash.
Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) introduced a resolution to remove Omar from the House Budget Committee and the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
“Disparaging Charlie Kirk’s legacy, a God-fearing, honorable man, for boldly sharing his conservative beliefs is disgusting,” Carter told Fox News. “The radical left has normalized meeting free speech with violence, and it must stop. No one who justifies the assassination of someone with different political views than them deserves to sit on a committee.”
Many online reactions also condemned her remarks.
“Ilhan Omar needs to be removed from office and banned from the U.S. Capitol Building,” founder of ACT for America, Brigitte Gabriel, posted on X. “These comments made about Charlie Kirk in the wake of his assassination are abhorrent and unbecoming of a Member of Congress.”
Omar showed no remorse and continued to reshare X posts attacking and smearing Kirk.
“Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar shared THIS VIDEO where a man SMEARS Charlie Kirk, calling him a ‘stochastic terrorist’ who believed in the ‘subjugation of women’ and blames conservatives for political violence in the world,” Libs of TikTok wrote on X.
Omar also addressed the controversy directly. “While I disagreed with Charlie Kirk vehemently about his rhetoric, my heart breaks for his wife and children. I don’t wish violence on anyone. My faith teaches me the power of peace, empathy, and compassion,” she posted on X.