Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) called fellow Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) a “jihad squad member” on Wednesday during a House debate on the resolution to censure Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.).
The far-right Colorado lawmaker faced fierce backlash for the comment as she railed against Democrats while defending Gosar, who was ultimately censured for posting an anime video depicting him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and attacking President Joe Biden.
“This is a dumb waste of the House’s time, but since the speaker has designated the floor to discuss members’ inappropriate actions, shall we?” Boebert said before calling Omar “the jihad squad member from Minnesota” with a “brother husband.”
Omar, one of the first two Muslim women in Congress, is a member of the so-called “Squad,” a group of progressive House Democrats of color including Ocasio-Cortez and Reps. Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), Rashida Tlaib (Mich.), Jamaal Bowman (N.Y.) and Cori Bush (Mo.).
Boebert’s comment sparked immediate condemnation. The Colorado lawmaker has made a habit of spewing hate speech and conspiracy theories and has reportedly been linked to the planning of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.