Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has initiated a move to censure Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota over disputed comments related to Somalia and Somaliland, accusing Omar of being a “foreign agent.”
Greene has forced a vote on the censure as a privileged resolution, a procedural tactic compelling a vote within two legislative days. The resolution not only seeks formal censure but also proposes removing Omar from the Budget Committee and the Education and the Workforce Committee.
In response, Greene expressed her desire to expel and deport Omar, citing her alleged admission in a public speech, captured on video, where she purportedly states that she represents the interests of a foreign government in her role as a U.S. representative. However, Greene acknowledged the unlikelihood of garnering sufficient votes for expulsion, leading to her introduction of a censure resolution instead.
Omar dismissed Greene’s efforts, deeming her actions as “insanity” and characterizing the controversy over her comments as a “manufactured crisis based on an inaccurate translation taken entirely out of context.” Omar emphasized that the attacks against her were false, rooted in xenophobia and Islamophobia. She reaffirmed her support for a unified Somalia, aligning with longstanding U.S. policy favoring a one-Somalia approach.
The move by Greene follows scrutiny of remarks made by Omar, a Somali refugee and one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress. Ambassador Rhoda J. Elmi, the deputy minister of foreign affairs for Somaliland, shared a translated clip of Omar’s comments, asserting that the U.S. government “will only do what Somalians in the United States tell them to do.” The translation attributed to Omar has been contested, with different interpretations highlighting potential discrepancies in the conveyed message.
As the dispute unfolds, Greene’s censure resolution intensifies the ongoing tensions between the two lawmakers, reflecting broader divisions within the U.S. political landscape. The complexity of the situation underscores the challenges of accurate translation in diplomatic contexts and the impact it can have on geopolitical relations.