Ilhan Omar is facing a growing backlash from members of her own party over her decision to appear alongside controversial left-wing streamer Hasan Piker, with Democratic state senators in Minnesota demanding he be denied a platform.
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he → face → platform
They appeared together at 'I'm the Host Now: Election Edition,' a political discussion and voter-mobilization event hosted by Minnesota state Senator Omar Fateh in Minneapolis on Monday.
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I → appear → Monday
The goal of the event was to help mobilize voters under 40, whose early voting numbers are down.
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numbers → help → 40
During the event, Omar criticized President Donald Trump and Republicans, defended Minnesota's Somali community and praised local resistance to federal immigration enforcement.
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Omar → criticize → enforcement
A group of DFL state senators led by Senator Ron Latz of St. Louis Park issued a joint statement condemning the event, accusing Piker of promoting hateful views and warning against giving him legitimacy.
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group → lead → legitimacy
'Minnesotans reject hate!' the lawmakers declared, in a pointed rebuke of Omar and other Democrats who agreed to share a stage with the online influencer.
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who → reject → influencer
'We strongly object to giving a platform and legitimacy to Hasan Piker, a nationally known Jew-hater, homophobe and misogynist,' the senators said.
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senators → object → Piker
Omar has repeatedly clashed with critics over her comments on Israel and the treatment of Jewish people.
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Omar → clash → people
The backlash of Minnesota hosting Hasan Piker, whose past remarks have repeatedly drawn accusations of antisemitism extended beyond the state legislature, with Minnesota's Jewish community leaders condemning the decision
Piker, a prominent online political commentator with a large following among young progressives, has attracted controversy for comments about Israel, American foreign policy and 9/11
We do not need violent rhetoric, anti-American rhetoric,' Republican gubernatorial candidate Lisa Demuth said at a news conference at the State Capitol focused on fraud
The backlash has also extended beyond the state legislature, with Minnesota's Jewish community leaders condemning the decision to host Piker, whose past remarks have repeatedly drawn accusations of antisemitism.
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remarks → host → antisemitism
The Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas described the decision by Omar and fellow Minnesota Democrat Omar Fateh to hold an event with Piker as 'a betrayal of Jewish Minnesotans and harmful to the broader public.
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Council → describe → public
Piker, a prominent online political commentator with a large following among young progressives, has attracted controversy for comments about Israel, American foreign policy and 9/11.
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Piker → attract → Israel
In August 2019, Piker said during a livestream, 'America deserved 9/11, dude.'
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America → say → 9/11
He later apologized for using the word 'deserved', saying the phrasing was inappropriate and clarifying that he did not believe the 3,000 Americans killed in the attacks deserved to die.
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Americans → apologize → attacks
In a September interview with Axios, Piker was questioned about previous comments calling for the death of Republican Florida Senator Rick Scott and saying landlords deserved to be murdered, with 'the streets' soaking in their 'red capitalist blood.'
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streets → question → blood
Piker has argued that critics often strip his remarks of context and said some of his deliberately provocative comments are intended to challenge conventional thinking.
But his critics say those explanations do not erase the concerns raised by his language.
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explanations → argue → language
Omar married Ahmed Nur Said Elmi (right), a British citizen, in February 2009, when records gave their ages as 26 and 23
Omar's father Nur Omar Mohamed (center) at her swearing in ceremony with Speaker Nancy Pelosi in January 2019
Republicans seized on his appearance, with state and federal candidates questioning why Democrats would invite him to speak.
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Democrats → marry → him
'We do not need violent rhetoric, anti-American rhetoric,' Republican gubernatorial candidate Lisa Demuth said at a news conference at the State Capitol focused on fraud.
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Demuth → need → fraud
Michele Tafoya, the Republican candidate for Senate in Minnesota, said she was stunned that Democrats would give Piker a platform.
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Democrats → say → platform
'This is a guy who is really anti-West, anti-American, anti-Israeli, anti-Semitic,' Tafoya told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS.
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Tafoya → tell → NEWS
Omar defended her decision to appear with Piker as an effort to mobilize younger voters, with her spokesperson insisting that the congresswoman was 'laser-focused on turning out the vote.
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congresswoman → defend → vote
'
The event comes as Omar faces mounting scrutiny over a federal investigation into her immigration history, which escalated when agents raided her Washington, DC home earlier this month.
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agents → come → home
The probe reportedly centers on immigration paperwork completed by Omar's late father when she was a child, with investigators examining whether documents used to bring her family to the United States contained false information.
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documents → center → information
The controversy has taken on a new political dimension after Trump allegedly urged federal prosecutors to pursue Omar.
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Trump → take → Omar
According to The New York Times, Trump singled out Minnesota's top federal prosecutor, Daniel Rosen, during a private meeting with law enforcement officials in January and told him, 'And prosecute Ilhan Omar.'
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Trump → accord → Omar
The White House rejected claims that the investigation was politically motivated, saying the Justice Department's inquiry began before Trump took office.
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Trump → reject → office
Omar has accused the administration of weaponizing federal law enforcement against one of the president's most outspoken critics.
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Omar → accuse → critics
Omar has also denied long-standing allegations that she married her brother, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, to secure immigration benefits, calling the claims baseless.
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she → deny → claims
She has not been charged with a crime in connection with the current investigation.
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She → charge → investigation
Omar, who arrived in the United States as a child and became a naturalized citizen in 2000, has said she did nothing wrong.
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she → arrive → nothing
The Daily Mail reached out to Omar's office and Piker's representatives for comment on the backlash surrounding the event.
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Mail → reach → event
The Aporia
