Ilhan Omar: United States was ‘founded by genocide’

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., wrote in 2017 that America was founded by genocide and our foreign policy smacks of “neocolonialism.”

“We must confront that our nation was founded by genocide and we maintain global power through neocolonialism,” Omar said in a tweet linking a Time article titled “ Unity Will Take Generations” she wrote about the August 2017 white supremacist rally Charlottesville, Va. The op-ed and tweet were unearthed by freelance writer Jeryl Bier.

Omar elaborated on her comment more in the article, which was unearthed by blogger Jeryl Bier.

“We must confront that our nation was founded by the genocide of indigenous people and on the backs of slaves, that we maintain global power with the tenor of neocolonialism,” she said.

Omar has drawn huge controversy in recent days and weeks. She was recently forced to defend 9/11 comments she made last month referring to the event as “some people did something.”

On Wednesday, she went on Stephen Colbert and said, “I am as American as everyone one else.”

Omar has been criticized in the past for her comments regarding both Israel and Jews.

In February, she accused AIPAC of buying votes and was condemned by both Republican and Democrat leaders as playing on an anti-Semitic trope regarding Jewish money.

Omar remains on the House Foreign Affairs Committee despite calls from Republicans to remove her from her position.

Source: Ilhan Omar: United States was ‘founded by genocide’