Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) apology for comments about a pro-Israel lobbying group were “appropriate” enough for at least one Republican.
Breaking with President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence’s assessment of Omar’s remorse, Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) told CNN on Wednesday that the freshman congresswoman’s response to backlash and accusations of anti-Semitism was “entirely appropriate.”
“I do accept Rep. Omar’s apology, and I think it’s entirely appropriate,” he said. “She’s a brand-new, freshman representative. Sometimes, you get out there and you say things and then you try to correct it. For any of us that are on television, like right now, you get questions, you make responses or you put out a tweet trying to be funny or to try to press a point, and sometimes you go over the line.”
After Trump suggested on Wednesday that Omar should resign over her tweet — where she appeared to perpetuate an anti-Semitic trope when she suggested that Republicans’ support for Israel was fueled by political donations — Pence chimed in, labeling her apology “inadequate.”
Some Republicans, reportedly including Pence, have sought to have her removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
GOP senator says Omar's apology was "entirely appropriate" pic.twitter.com/hcBTeHlQPG
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) February 13, 2019
