Omar asks Twitter what it's doing in response to Trump spreading 'lies that put my life at risk'

By Zack Budryk - 09/18/19 12:10 PM EDT
 
Omar asks Twitter what it's doing in response to Trump spreading 'lies that put my life at risk'
© Greg Nash

Rep. Ilhan OmarIlhan OmarIlhan Omar raises .1 million in third quarter New California law bans school lunch debt shaming The Hill's 12:30 Report — Presented by USAA — Ex-Ukraine ambassador testifies Trump pushed for her ouster MORE (D-Minn.) asked Wednesday what Twitter would do about “lies that put my life at risk” after President TrumpDonald John TrumpBusiness school deans call for lifting country-specific visa caps Bolton told ex-Trump aide to call White House lawyers about Ukraine pressure campaign: report Federal prosecutors in New York examining Giuliani business dealings with Ukraine: report MORE promoted a false claim that a video of her and Rep. Ayanna PressleyAyanna PressleyPennsylvania candidate would be first autistic woman elected to a state legislature Pressley joins hundreds of activists calling for Kavanaugh impeachment: 'I believe in the power of us' The 13 House Democrats who back Kavanaugh's impeachment MORE (D-Mass.) dancing was filmed on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

“This is from a CBC event we hosted this weekend to celebrate black women in Congress. The President of the United States is continuing to spread lies that put my life at risk. What is Twitter doing to combat this misinformation?” Omar tweeted after Trump quote-tweeted a tweet from user Terrence K. Williams falsely claiming the Sept. 13 video was taken on Sept. 11.

The clip of the two dancing to Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts” initially went viral on Saturday after it was first tweeted, with the rapper and singer, who, like Omar, is from Minneapolis, retweeting it.

After the quote-tweet from the president, which Williams also retweeted, Williams apparently deleted the original. The Hill has reached out to Williams for comment. A Twitter spokesperson confirmed to The Hill that the tweet was not deleted as a result of any action by the company.

Trump previously retweeted Williams when he suggested the Clintons had ordered the killing of financier and accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Omar also retweeted several other accounts noting the lie, including CNN’s Jake TapperJacob (Jake) Paul TapperBiden praises Buttigieg for criticizing GOP attacks: 'That's a good man' White House officials stand by Syria withdrawal, sanctions delay amid bipartisan pushback Kasich to Congress: 'Look in the mirror at how you want to be remembered' MORE, Sen. Bernie SandersBernie SandersSupport drops for Medicare for All but increases for public option Hillicon Valley: Warren takes on Facebook over political ads | Zuckerberg defends meetings with conservatives | Civil liberties groups sound alarm over online extremism bill On The Money: Trump touts China trade deal | Wall Street, Washington see signs for caution | Trump threatens sanctions on Turkey | Sanders proposes sharp hike to corporate taxes MORE (I-Vt.) and Sirius XM host Zerlina Maxwell.

Death threats against Omar previously spiked after Trump tweeted a video splicing images of the 9/11 attacks with comments Omar made saying that in the wake of the attacks, all Muslims were considered suspect because “some people did something,” which prompted outrage on the right and accusations of trivializing the terrorist attacks.

Omar later doubled down on calls for Twitter to take action against the president's account, tweeting: "Enough! Twitter needs to hold this #Lyingpresident accountable."

Tags Twitter Ayanna Pressley Bernie Sanders Donald Trump Jake Tapper Ilhan Omar death threats Trump tweets