Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar ripped U.S. diplomat Elliott Abrams during a hearing that took place before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday.
During her line of questioning, Omar questioned the trustworthiness of Abrams because of the longtime diplomat’s role in the Iran-Contra scandal of the 1980s. Abrams was convicted of unlawfully withholding information from Congress in 1991. Omar also erroneously referred to him as “Mr. Adams.” (RELATED: Linda Sarsour Defends Rep. Omar’s Israel Comments)
“I fail to understand why members of this committee of the American people should find any testimony that you give today to be truthful,” Omar said.
Exchange between Rep. @IlhanMN and Elliott Abrams: “I fail to understand why members of this committee of the American people should find any testimony that you give today to be truthful.” pic.twitter.com/n8aMbH1g3G
— CSPAN (@cspan) February 13, 2019
After Abrams tried to respond to Omar’s comments, the freshman congresswoman cut him off and explained to him that she wasn’t asking a question. Abrams demanded an opportunity to defend his character, but was rebuffed.
“It is not right that members of this committee can attack a witness who is not permitted to reply,” Abrams said.
“In recent days the world has witnessed the support the U.S. has offered the Venezuelan people with the ultimate goal of restoring democracy in their country,” Republican National Committee Director and Spokesperson of Hispanic Media, Yali Nunez said in a statement. “For Rep. Ilhan Omar to attack the character of U.S Special Envoy to Venezuela, Mr. Elliott Abrams, a public servant and patriot is just simply un-American . In less than a week she has managed to offend both the Jewish and Hispanic communities in the U.S.”
Abrams was recently appointed by President Donald Trump to be the U.S. Special Envoy to Venezuela. Omar has been a harsh critic of the United States’ decision to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as the legitimate president of Venezuela over Nicolas Maduro.
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