During a new appearance on CNN, former GOP Representative Barbara Comstock triumphantly raised the prospect of ousting Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) from Congress. Both Boebert and Greene have faced stark criticism for their antics in Congress — both are in their first terms in the House, and both have defined their time in the spotlight with incendiary, antagonistic rhetoric and behavior. Recently, for instance, footage emerged of Boebert mockingly comparing Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) — who is Muslim and was born in Somalia — to a suicide bomber.
Ilhan Omar spent four years in a refugee camp and ended up becoming a Congresswoman. She represents the best of America, while Lauren Boebert represents the worst.
— Andrea Junker (@Strandjunker) November 26, 2021
Boebert shared a tepid apology for her remarks about Omar, but that one sort of walk-back isn’t going to erase the long history of her rhetorical flame-throwing. She and those aligned with her in Congress are putting on a show funded by taxpayers and campaign donors — and taking out the trash, as Comstock put it (using others’ phrasing), is what she “think[s] needs to be done here.”
"Oh, absolutely, 100%," GOP Rep. Nancy Mace says when asked if she condemns Rep. Lauren Boebert's anti-Muslim comment about Dem Rep. Ilhan Omar. "We have a responsibility to lower the temperature, and this does not do that."
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) November 29, 2021
As Comstock explained things, discussing Boebert’s comments about Omar:
‘We know since January 6 and even before, there have been more threats to members of Congress than ever. This year is going to be the highest sort of threat level that there’s ever been. So, when you have this kind of just unconscionable attack — and it’s not just that she needs to apologize to the congresswoman who she attacked, she needs to apologize to the American people. She needs to apologize to the Republican party and a lot of other people. It goes way beyond that.’
Here’s my conversation with @brianstelter on @cnn’s @ReliableSources discussing how to cover politicians who specialize in disinformation & bigotry. Ignoring their disinfo corrodes society. Ignoring their bigotry abandons our neighbors who are its targets. https://t.co/IUX5pf6Iiy
— Kyle Clark (@KyleClark) November 29, 2021
Interestingly, Greene spoke out against Boebert’s apology, ranting on Twitter that one should “[never] apologize to Islamic terrorist sympathizers, communists, or those who fund murder with our tax dollars.” Omar, to be clear, is none of those things. Meanwhile, Comstock continued on CNN as follows:
‘I’d also like to point out that [Boebert] has a Republican opponent, Marina Zimmerman, who in response to Adam Kinzinger pointing out Lauren Boebert is ‘trash’ — I would agree — Marina Zimmerman said, help me take out the trash, and that’s what I think needs to be done here. Both Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Greene have Republican women who are running against them in the primary. I’m on two [political action committees] that support Republican women… we specifically do not support Marjorie Greene or Lauren Boebert… those are very red districts, you’re going to end up with a Republican. You can have a conservative Republican woman without having a crazy, very unpleasant, nasty, unconscionable type-person.’
Watch Comstock’s comments below:
