House to vote on Omar rebuke Thursday

Updated 03/07/2019 04:17 PM ESTUPDATE 5:37 p.m.:The House overwhelmingly approved a resolution condemning hate speech, in an indirect rebuke of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s controversial comments about Israel.Story Continued BelowThe debate over how to respond to Omar’s remarks, which have been criticized as anti-Semitic by some colleagues, has sharply divided the Democratic Caucus.The measure passed 407-23. Every Democrat voted for the resolution, with all ‘no’ votes coming from Republicans; one lawmaker, Rep. Steve King, (R-Iowa), voted present.ORIGINAL ARTICLE: The House will vote Thursday on a resolution condemning anti-Semitism, an indirect rebuke of controversial comments by Rep. Ilhan Omar that has inflamed the Democratic Caucus and which party leaders are eager to put behind them. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her leadership team urgently want to move past the debate over Omar's comments — a suggestion that pro-Israel advocates have “allegiance” to a foreign country — after a tense intraparty fight over how to respond.Pelosi said earlier the resolution would not mention Omar by name, as some Jewish lawmakers had privately demanded, and will broadly address several forms of hate speech, including anti-Semitism. The language of the resolution has been dividing Democrats since text first began circulating Monday night.Some of Omar’s closest allies, including members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Congressional Black Caucus, erupted this week after they learned the resolution was aimed at her specific comments on Israel.Democratic leaders later agreed to broaden the resolution to condemn all forms of hate speech — a nod to last week’s incident involving an anti-Muslim poster featured at a West Virginia GOP event that appeared to link Omar with the Sept. Unfortunately, it was also clear from the discussions this week — and in the ultimate resolution — that many people treat anti-Semitism differently than other forms of bigotry and hatred," Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), said in an interview."There shouldn’t be an asterisk next to anti-Semitism," he said.Tensions flared again Thursday after House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) said in an interview with The Hill that Omar’s own experiences fleeing violence in Somalia were “more personal” than those of Jews who are generations removed from the Holocaust.“I’m serious about that.