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“Squad” leader Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Friday blasted House Democratic leadership for not stripping Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., from her committee assignments, calling it an embarrassment.
The New York Democrat’s swipe at her own party is the latest development in the feud between Boebert and Ocasio-Cortez’s fellow “Squad” member Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.
“It’s embarrassing that there is any hesitation on this,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote. “How can we have different consequences for different kinds of bigotry or incitement?”
“This should be treated equally and consistently,” the self-described democratic socialist continued. “Incite against a member and you’re stripped. End of story. She refuses to even apologize.”
Boebert called Omar on Monday to apologize in what turned into a tense phone call centered around Boebert’s recent controversial remarks about the Minnesota Democrat’s religion that saw Omar hang up on the Colorado Republican.
Boebert said she organized the call with Omar because she “wanted to let her know directly that I had reflected on my previous remarks.”
Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., speaks at a news conference held by members of the House Freedom Caucus on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, July 29, 2021, to complain about Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. and masking policies. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
“Now as a strong, Christian woman who values faith deeply, I never want anything I say to offend someone’s religion. So I told her that. Even after I put out a public statement to that effect, she said that she still wanted a public apology because what I had done wasn’t good enough. So I reiterated to her what I had just said,” Boebert continued.
“She kept asking for a public apology so I told Ilhan Omar that she should make a public apology to the American people for her anti-American, anti-Semitic, anti-police rhetoric. She continued to press and I continued to press back. And then, Representative Omar hung up on me.”
Omar issued a statement blaming Boebert for how the call unfolded and confirming that she ended the conversation.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., right, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., attend a bill enrollment ceremony for the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act in the Capitol on Thursday, June 17, 2021. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call, Inc via Getty Image)
“Today I graciously accepted a call from Rep. Lauren Boebert in the hope of receiving a direct apology for falsely claiming she met me in an elevator, suggesting I was a terrorist, and for a history of anti-Muslim hate,” Omar said in a statement.
“Instead of apologizing for her Islamophobic comments and fabricated lies, Rep. Boebert refused to publicly acknowledge her hurtful and dangerous comments. She instead doubled down on her rhetoric and I decided to end the unproductive call.”
The phone call came in response to Omar accusing the Colorado congresswoman of making up an “anti-Muslim” story about her while speaking to supporters.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez D-NY, speaks during a TV interview on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, April 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., defended Boebert on Friday, saying “she apologized” for recent insulting comments about Rep. Ilhan Omar’s religion – but he did admit controversies surrounding Boebert and far-right allies like Reps. Paul Gosar and Marjorie Taylor Greene cause “problems.”
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“It’s things we would not want to deal with,” McCarthy said. “The American people want to focus on stopping inflation, gas prices, and others. And anything that deviates from that causes problems.”
“Lauren Boebert, as I called her when it came forward, we talked. She apologized publicly. She apologized personally,” McCarthy also said, regarding Boebert’s comments about Omar. “In disagreements and something goes astray, you apologize for it – exactly what Lauren Boebert did.”
Democrats, however, do not believe that Boebert has apologized to Omar enough for her comment.
Fox News’ Tyler Olson and Jessica Chasmar contributed reporting.