Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) is facing formal censure and removal from two House committees following remarks she made about Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated on September 10 during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
Omar appeared on a program hosted by Mehdi Hasan late last week, where she criticized Kirk’s record and dismissed claims that he sought civil debate.
“He downplayed George Floyd. He opposed Juneteenth,” Omar said.
Speaking to the progressive outlet Zeteo, she added, “There are a lot of people who are talking about him [Kirk] just wanting to have a civil debate. These people are full of s— and it’s important for us to call them out while we feel anger and sadness.”
Her remarks and subsequent posts online prompted a resolution introduced in the House that calls for censuring Omar and removing her from the Committee on Education and Workforce and the Committee on the Budget.
The resolution includes a series of findings outlining Kirk’s life and the statements made by Omar following his assassination.
It highlights Kirk’s role as an advocate for youth political engagement and free speech, as well as his faith and family life.
It further documents Omar’s September 11 interview with Hasan, her reposting of a video on X on September 12, and the content of that video, which disparaged Kirk and those mourning him.
The video Omar reposted claimed, “Charlie Kirk is dead, and before the body got cold, the far-Right propped his corpse up as a cudgel for their holy war.”
It also stated, “Don’t be fooled, these people don’t give a single shit about Charlie Kirk, they are just using his death to further their Christofascist agenda.”
Other statements in the video described Kirk as “a reprehensible human being” and “a stochastic terrorist, an adamant transphobe,” alleging that he “denied the genocide happening in Palestine” and “believed in the subjugation of women.”
The video concluded by blaming Kirk for his own murder, calling him “Dr. Frankenstein” whose “monster shot him through the neck.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson responded on Monday, saying Omar’s remarks demonstrated a lack of understanding.
“She clearly has no idea what she’s talking about,” Johnson said.
“She has not followed Charlie. She’s playing into this characterization of him that the left has been advancing. There are people actually celebrating his murder online and that tells you everything you need to know about that side. We’ve got to get — cut through that.”
The move against Omar comes amid broader discussion of political violence and rhetoric.
Vice President J.D. Vance, while hosting The Charlie Kirk Show earlier this week, pointed to polling data showing higher support for political violence among liberals compared to conservatives.
“People on the left are much likelier to defend and celebrate political violence. This is not a both-sides problem. If both sides have a problem, one side has a much bigger and malignant problem, and that is the truth we must be told,” Vance said.
If passed, the measure would formally censure Omar and strip her of her assignments on the House Committee on Education and Workforce and the House Committee on the Budget.
