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Ayanna Pressley and AOC introduce a resolution to strip Lauren Boebert of her committee assignments for her anti-Muslim remarks aimed at fellow progressive Ilhan Omar

  Lauren Boebert now faces losing her committee assignments for making Islamaphobic comments aimed at fellow representative   Ilhan Omar . A...

 Lauren Boebert now faces losing her committee assignments for making Islamaphobic comments aimed at fellow representative Ilhan Omar.

A group of three dozen House progressive lawmakers, led by Massachusetts Representative Ayanna Pressley, introduced the legislation to strip Boebert of her assignments on Wednesday. They hope the action will force Democratic leadership to punish Boebert before the end of the year.

Currently Boebert serves on the Committee on Natural Resources and Budget Committee.

Mounting pressure has ensued for Boebert to face punishment after a video clip surfaced from an event in September where the Colorado Republican made a suicide bomber about Omar, who is a hijab-wearing Muslim woman.

'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,' Pressley said in a statement about the legislation.

House Democrats released a resolution Wednesday to strip Republican Representative Lauren Boebert (pictured) of her committee assignments following anti-Muslim comments aimed at Representative Ilhan Omar

House Democrats released a resolution Wednesday to strip Republican Representative Lauren Boebert (pictured) of her committee assignments following anti-Muslim comments aimed at Representative Ilhan Omar

The resolution was introduced by Representative Ayanna Pressley (left) and is co-sponsored by three dozen Democrats – including fellow squad member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (right)

Kevin McCarthy says Lauren Boubert apologized for Omar suicide bomb jokes
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'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,' Pressley added.

Omar told CNN on Sunday that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has promised 'decisive action' against Boebert soon, and said she trusts that will happen.

'I have had a conversation with the speaker, and I'm very confident that she will take decisive action next week,' the Minnesota progressive lawmaker said.

'When I first got to Congress, I was worried that I wasn't going to be allowed to be sworn in because there was a ban on the hijab,' Omar added. 'She promised me that she would take care of it. She fulfilled that promise.'

Representative Ilhan Omar (pictured) said Sunday that she trusts House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to take 'decisive action' soon against Boebert

Representative Ilhan Omar (pictured) said Sunday that she trusts House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to take 'decisive action' soon against Boebert

Rep. Ilhan Omar reveals more attacks from Rep Boebert
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'She's made another promise to me that she will take care of this. And I believe her.'

There are three dozen Democratic lawmakers co-sponsoring the bill with Pressley, including Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal Bowman of New York; ​​Rashida Tlaib of Michigan; Cori Bush of Missouri; Pramila Jayapal of Washington; André Carson of Indiana; and Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas. 

It's unclear, however, whether Pelosi will be persuaded to take action once the resolution is introduced as leadership is not required to immediately consider it on the floor.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has defended Boebert, making it clear that the Republican Conference will not take action to punish or condemn the Colorado lawmaker.


In the video of Boebert's comments from this fall, she said: 'One of my staffers, on his first day with me, got into an elevator in the Capitol. And in that elevator, we were joined by Ilhan Omar.'

'Well, it was just us three in there and I looked over and I said, 'Well, lookey there, it's the Jihad Squad,'' she told the audience, smiling as the room broke into laughter and applause.

'I do have to say she doesn't have a backpack, she wasn't dropping it and running so we're good,' she continued.


In the same clip, Boebert called Omar and Tlaib, who is also Muslim, 'evil' and black-hearted.'

'Let me be very clear,' McCarthy said at a press conference Friday. 'This party is for anyone and everyone who craves freedom and supports religious liberty. Lauren Boebert, as I called her, when it came forward we talked, she apologized publicly, she apologized personally.'

On CNN Sunday, Omar called out McCarthy for refusing to condemn Boebert's comments.

'McCarthy's a liar and a coward,' Omar said of the Calfironia Republican. 'He doesn't have the ability to condemn the kind of bigoted, Islamaphobia and anti-Muslim rhetoric that are being trafficked by a member of his conference.'

'Why doesn't he have the ability to do that?' CNN State of the Union host Jake Tapper asked her.

'Because this is who they are,' she responded.

'And we have to be able to stand up to them, and we have to push them to reckon with the fact that their party, right now, is normalizing anti-Muslim bigotry.'

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