Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar claimed a media outlet misquoted her comments about former President Barack Obama, but audio the freshman congresswoman posted herself proved she wasn’t misquoted.
The Muslim congresswoman, who has seemingly split the Democratic Party in two over her recurring remarks that many consider anti-Semitic, was the center of media attention again Friday in a story that quoted her shredding Obama as a phony. As outrage increased, Omar attempted to haul back her comments by suggesting she had never said those things — but audio tape she posted in an attempt to defend herself proved that she had, Fox News reported Saturday.
U.S. President Donald Trump (L) greets former President Barack Obama after being sworn in as the 45th president of the United States on the West front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., Jan. 20, 2017. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
While calling Obama’s message of “hope and change” a “mirage,” Omar also slammed the former president for the “caging of kids” at the border and “droning of counties around the world,” in a Politico interview. (RELATED: Ilhan Omar Trashes Obama On Immigration)
“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,” Politico quotes Omar as saying. “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.” (RELATED: Rep. Ilhan Omar Traveled With Pro-Communist, Anti-American Peace Group)
Following intense media scrutiny, Omar went back to Twitter to say she had been a victim of media manipulation, tweeting: “Exhibit A of how reporters distort words. 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,” she fumed, attaching an audio file of the interview.
Then-Minnesota Democratic Congressional Candidate Ilhan Omar arrives at an election night results party on Nov. 6, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
But the file confirmed the veracity of the interview.
LISTEN to Audio File Here:
Politico journalist Tim Alberta tweeted: “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.”
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
Omar had pulled down her tweet by Saturday afternoon.
In the audio, Omar argues that Obama and Trump are two sides of the same coin.
“You know, I will talk about the family separation or caging of kids and then people will point out that this was wrong – I mean this was Obama. And you know I’ll say something about the droning of countries around the world and people will say that was Obama. And all of that is very true. What is happening now is very different. A lot is happening with secrecy. It’s happening with the feel-good polished way of talking about it.”