Trump campaign adviser: Omar’s ‘ill-thought-out words’ putting her in danger
An adviser to President Trump’s reelection campaign is blaming a rash of death threats against Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) on “her ill-thought-out words” rather than attacks by Trump.
“I don’t think it’s the president that’s putting her in danger, I think it’s her ill-thought-out words that she used to describe the greatest terror attack on the history of United States soil, which killed nearly 3,000 Americans,” Marc Lotter said early Monday on CNN’s “New Day” when asked about a video Trump tweeted that showed clips of the 9/11 attacks and Omar’s comments. Omar, one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, said the tweet has led to a spike in threats against her.
“Make no mistake, no congressperson, no American should be threatened and no one is inciting violence,” Lotter, the Trump campaign’s director of strategic communications, added. “I think what they’re doing is showing outrage toward words that should have been better thought out.”
“I don’t think it is the President putting her in danger. It is her ill thought out words,” says Trump 2020 Campaign aide @marc_lotter on Rep. Ilhan Omar.
“I’m not going to tell the President what he should or should not do with his Twitter account.” pic.twitter.com/cf09NSWEbr
— New Day (@NewDay) April 15, 2019
{mosads}Lotter also said he was unaware of any plans by Trump to delete the tweet, saying, “I’m not going to tell the president what he should or should not do with his Twitter account.”
Last week, conservatives resurfaced Omar’s speech, in which she said some people held all Muslims responsible after 9/11 because “some people did something.”
Omar’s critics accused her of minimizing the attacks, while her defenders have said she was taken out of context and that the rhetoric is irresponsible in light of the arrest of a New York man for allegedly threatening to assassinate her earlier this month.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Sunday that she has instructed the Capitol sergeant at arms to ensure Omar’s safety.
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