House Democratic leaders slammed Rep. Randy Fine Wednesday and called on the Florida Republican to apologize after he insinuated that Rep. Ilhan Omar was a terrorist.
In an unusual joint statement, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) called Fine’s comments “unhinged, racist and Islamophobic” as well as “bigoted and disgusting.”
“We are just weeks removed from heinous acts of political violence targeting elected officials in Minnesota for assassination,” they said. “This is an incredibly difficult time for our nation and Members of Congress should be solving problems for the American people, not inciting violence. Randy Fine must apologize immediately.”
Fine, who was elected in an April special election to succeed Mike Waltz after his short-lived appointment as national security adviser, posted Tuesday night on X in response to a post from Omar that lumped Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu in with “war criminals.”
“I’m sure it is difficult to see us welcome the killer of so many of your fellow Muslim terrorists,” he wrote. “The only shame is that you serve in Congress.”
Omar is one of the first two Muslim women in Congress and has been a harsh critic of the Israeli government. She was also among the Minnesota officials who appeared in target lists allegedly compiled by accused murderer Vance Boelter, who police say targeted Democrats in a shooting spree last month.
Jackie Rogers, a spokesperson for Omar, said Fine “is a dangerous hateful man, whose only purpose in Congress thus far has been advocating for nuking Gaza, celebrating the death of children, and calling anyone who disagrees with his genocidal mindset a terrorist.”
Fine responded to the Democratic leaders in a post on X: “The Hamas Caucus is upset. Boo hoo.”
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