Marjorie Taylor Greene calls on Rep. Ilhan Omar to be "deported" after speech debacle
Washington DC - Far-right Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is calling for her colleague Rep Ilhan Omar to be "deported" after a video posted online mistranslated remarks she made while giving a speech in Somali.
On Thursday, the MAGA Republican shared a video on social media where she accused Omar, who is Somali American, of "acting as a foreign agent within our very government" because of a recent speech she gave at a Minneapolis event to celebrate an election in Somalia.
A mistranslation of the speech claimed the Democrat spoke to her Somali American constituents saying they are "Somalians first, Muslims second," and that "the US government will only do what Somalians in the US tell them to do. They will do what we want and nothing else. They must follow our orders."
Greene shared she has since filed a motion for Omar to be censured for the "treasonous" comments, adding that if it were up to her, she would "expel" her from Congress, and "deport her out of the United States."
"Our country is going to be taken over from the inside," Greene said in the clip.
Critics on the right have taken issue with several portions of Omar's speech, and have posted similar grievances to Greene's on social media.
Former presidential candidate and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis posted, "Expel from Congress, denaturalize and deport!"
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, who is also from Minnesota, described Omar's comments as "anti-American rhetoric" and a "slap in the face" to their state's voters, adding that she should "resign in disgrace."
Ilhan Omar responds to criticisms about her speech
After video of Omar's speech gained so much traction, it was quickly revealed that portions of the translation of her remarks were incorrect.
In response to the backlash to her speech, Omar said in a statement, "I am deeply embarrassed for Tom, Marjorie, and any of the other fools who are attacking me based on this bunk translation. This is desperate and frankly sad, even for them.
"The attacks being lobbed against me are not only completely false, they are rooted in xenophobia and Islamophobia," she continued. "This is a manufactured controversy based on an inaccurate translation taken entirely out of context.
"I'm no stranger to these types of misinformation campaigns targeting Muslim elected officials," Omar added.
Cover photo: Collage: Jim WATSON & SAUL LOEB / AFP