Co-host of “The View” Meghan McCain appeared on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” Tuesday to defend her repeated criticisms of Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar.
Meyers asked McCain if it was possible to criticize Israel without being anti-Semitic. McCain responded that it was, but that some of Omar’s comments — which includes an old tweet in which she accused Israel of “hypnotizing” the world — went too far. (RELATED: Mike Pence Rips Rep. Ilhan Omar Over Venezuela)
US Representative Ilhan Omar attends a youth climate rally on the west front of the US Capitol on March 15, 2019 in Washington, DC. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)
“I just think you can’t talk about Jews hypnotizing the world, talking about all about the Benjamins,” McCain said, referencing one of Omar’s tweets in which she claimed U.S. support for Israel is bought by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), saying it’s “all about the Benjamins.”
“You do keep bringing up the two tweets that she’s apologized for, and I think that’s a little unfair to her,” Meyers said.
McCain responded by insinuating that Meyers was attacking as a P.R. person on Omar’s behalf.
“Are you her publicist?” she asked. “Are you her press person?”
“No, I’m just someone who cares about the fact that there’s someone out there who is in a minority, who has had death threats against her, and I think that we should all use the same language that you’re asking her to be careful about her language, and I would ask everybody else to be careful about theirs,” Meyers responded.
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Omar has faced intense criticism over her attacks on Israel with people on both sides of the aisle calling out her use of historically anti-Semitic tropes to trash the Jewish state. (RELATED: Top Ranking Democrat Slams Ilhan Omar’s Comments During AIPAC Speech: ‘I Stand With Israel, Proudly And Unapologetically)
After Omar’s comments, the House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning all forms of bigotry but did not call out Omar by name. 23 Republicans voted against the resolution, with Republican Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert calling it “spineless and watered down.”