Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN) refused to comment Thursday when asked about what federal authorities are calling a terrorist attack outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. The attack resulted in the deaths of two Israeli Embassy staff members, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, who were attending a Jewish conference.
The couple, soon to be engaged, was gunned down Wednesday evening just steps from the museum. FBI officials are investigating the incident as a terrorist act. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned the killings as “a horrific terrorist attack,” and directly linked the act to global anti-Semitic incitement.
“This is the direct result of toxic anti-Semitic incitement against Israel and Jews around the world that has been going on since the October 7th massacre,” Sa’ar said. “I have been worried for the past few months that something like this would happen. And it did.”
When approached for comment by a reporter outside the Capitol, Rep. Omar said only, “I’m going to go for now,” and left without addressing the matter.
The White House responded sharply. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt criticized Omar’s reaction during a press briefing, pointing to a broader problem within the Democratic Party. “It’s despicable and, frankly, we have seen a rise in antisemitic protests, of pro-Hamas protests, of terrorist sympathizers,” said Leavitt. “The president has made it very clear that such hatred will have no place in our country.”
Omar later posted a statement on X condemning the violence, saying, “I am appalled by the deadly shooting at the Capital Jewish Museum last night. Holding the victims, their families, and loved ones in my thoughts and prayers. Violence should have no place in our country.”
This is not the first time Omar has faced backlash over statements related to terrorism. In 2021, she equated actions by the U.S. and Israel with those of Hamas and the Taliban, a comparison that drew condemnation from then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi said Omar was “drawing false equivalencies” and warned that such statements “foment prejudice and undermine progress.”
Omar previously faced criticism for her 2019 comment referring to the 9/11 terror attacks as “some people did something,” a remark that deeply offended many Americans, including Nicholas Haros Jr., who lost his mother in the attacks. “We know who and what was done, there’s no uncertainty about that,” Haros said.
