Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) has introduced a resolution that would remove Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) from her committee roles in the House in response to racist comments that she made towards Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.). Repeatedly, Boebert was caught on camera mockingly comparing Omar — who is Muslim and was born in Somalia before becoming a U.S. citizen — to a terrorist. At one point, Boebert posted a tepid apology on Twitter geared towards “anyone in the Muslim community” who was offended, but she’s refused to apologize to Omar herself. Instead, Boebert continues to act as though her comments weren’t that concerning at all, which helps set the stage for continuing waves of dangerous racism.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley has just introduced a resolution that would remove Republican Lauren Boebert from her committee assignments over her racist, anti-Muslim remarks. The resolution is backed by more than a dozen other House Democrats.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) December 8, 2021
‘For a Member of Congress to repeatedly use hateful, anti-Muslim rhetoric and Islamophobic tropes towards a Muslim colleague is dangerous. It has no place in our society and it diminishes the honor of the institution we serve in… Without meaningful accountability for that Member’s actions, we risk normalizing this behavior and endangering the lives of our Muslim colleagues, Muslim staffers and every Muslim who calls America home. The House must unequivocally condemn this incendiary rhetoric and immediately pass this resolution. How we respond in moments like these will have lasting impacts, and history will remember us for it.’
"It is my expectation that Lauren Boebert is going to be held accountable," House Dem Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries says.
Noting the GOP is all but certain not to punish her, he adds: "At some point, I think the House as a whole is going to have to act."
— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) December 8, 2021
As summarized by CNN, whether Pressley’s resolution “will get a vote is largely up to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi,” and Pelosi has so far declined to publicly endorse removing Boebert from her committee spots in the House. The chamber’s Democratic majority already led the way in removing Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) from their committee spots in the House, but both of them had directly backed threats of violence. Still, Boebert’s comments could facilitate — and might be said to have already facilitated — threats of violence. Fanatical believers in the ideology to which Boebert subscribes could target Omar with inspiration drawn from Boebert’s remarks, and Omar has already received a barrage of death threats.
More than 400 congressional staff are calling on House leaders to "categorically reject the incendiary rhetoric" in the workplace following the recent racist, anti-Muslim attacks from Republican Lauren Boebert about Rep. Ilhan Omar. https://t.co/9VQWsfhg88
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) December 8, 2021
Dozens of House Democrats have expressed support for the idea of removing Boebert from her committee spots in the House. In a joint statement with 38 signatories, Democratic House members said that members of Congress “owe it to [Muslim constituents], and to every person who has been the recipient of harassment and verbal abuse based on their religion, race, gender, sexuality, or other identity, to stand up and show them that their votes to send us here mean something — that our values mean something, and are worth defending.” Republican leaders like House GOP leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) have resisted efforts to try and hold Boebert accountable. McCarthy, for instance, ranted to reporters about how she’d supposedly apologized enough.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) introduces resolution to strip Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) of her committee assignments “in light of conduct she has exhibited.” pic.twitter.com/7Kvp6jJD28
— The Recount (@therecount) December 8, 2021
