[Rollingstone] Rep. Ilhan Omar is once again being targeted by Republicans and right-wing media. Once again, the attacks against the Muslim lawmaker are clouded in bad faith. The latest round of outrage comes in light of comments Omar made last month at a Council on American-Islamic Relations event in Los Angeles, where she spoke about the anti-Muslim bigotry spawned by 9/11. Here’s what she said:"Far too long we have lived with the discomfort of being a second-class citizen and frankly, I’m tired of it and every single Muslim in this country should be tired of it. CAIR was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties."
The comments surfaced this week, and Republicans have responded by questioning Omar’s patriotism, accusing her of downplaying 9/11. On Wednesday night, she went on the Late Show to defend herself. "I took an oath to uphold the Constitution," she told Stephen Colbert. "I am as American as everyone else is."