Top Democrats Fear Violence Against Omar After Incendiary Trump Rally

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 06: Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) participates in a House Education and Labor Committee Markup on the H.R. 582 Raise The Wage Act, in the Rayburn House Office Building on March 6, 2019 in Washington... WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 06: Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) participates in a House Education and Labor Committee Markup on the H.R. 582 Raise The Wage Act, in the Rayburn House Office Building on March 6, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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A number of Democratic leaders in the House are worried about Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) safety after President Donald Trump’s rant about her at a rally led racist chants of “send her back” from the crowd.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said on Thursday that she’d spoken to the House sergeant-at-arms about Omar’s even before the rally, possibly referring to her announcement in April after Trump tweeted 9/11 footage to attack Omar.

House Assistant Democratic Leader Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), the fourth ranking Democrat, told Politico that Trump was “instilling fear.”

“It’s going to instill violence,” he said.

“We need to make sure that every single member of the House Democratic caucus, particularly those who have been viciously targeted by Donald Trump, including at the rally last night, are safe and have the protection that they need,” Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said.

Omar said that she believes Trump is “fascist.”

“I want to remind people that this is what this President and his supporters have done to our country that is supposed to be a country where we allow democratic debate and dissent to take place,” she said.

Read Politico’s interviews with other Democratic lawmakers here.

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