Republican groups pivot back to Tlaib and Omar amid Trump ‘disloyalty’ backlash – Washington Examiner

Republican groups are pointing to statements made by Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan in response to similar comments from President Trump.

“I think any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat, I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday. He later clarified to mean that they would be showing disloyalty to Israel.

When asked if he is using an anti-Semitic trope, Trump said he has done “a lot of great things for Israel.”

Both the Republican National Committee and Republican Jewish Coalition were quick to reiterate the president’s record on Israel, which includes moving the embassy to Jerusalem and pulling out of the Iranian Nuclear Deal. They also pointed out the previous comments made by Omar and Tlaib that many accused to be anti-Semitic in their own right.

“President Trump has done more for Israel than any other president in recent memory,” RNC spokesman Steve Guest told the Washington Examiner on Wednesday. “Meanwhile, Ilhan Omar and the rest of ‘the squad’ regularly spread their vile anti-Semitic and anti-Israel views and get a free pass from Democrat Party leadership. President Trump is right to call out ‘the squad’s’ rhetoric for what it is, and urge voters to reject it.”

In a two-part tweet, the RJC said, “We take the President seriously, not literally. President Trump is pointing out the obvious: for those who care about Israel, the position of many elected Democrats has become anti-Israel,” adding, “When Tlaib and Omar talk loyalty, they’re questioning American Jews’ loyalty to the United States. President Trump is talking about caring about the survival of the Jewish state.”

As the the RJC pointed out, Omar and Tlaib were accused of pushing dual loyalty months ago.

At an event last spring in Washington, D.C., Omar said in part, “I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is okay to push for allegiance to a foreign country.”

Days after being sworn in last January, Tlaib argued that members of Congress “forgot what country they represent.” The comment came as the Senate’s first bill of the session was focused on defending the Israeli government despite the fact that there was an ongoing government shutdown at the time.