Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) claimed the disturbing syringe attack against her was motivated by anger over not enough Somalis being deported – and suggested President Trump is to blame for the assault.
“The man that attacked me was specifically upset that Trump’s order to deport Somalis was not yielding enough deportations of Somalis,” the “Squad” lawmaker told reporters Wednesday, during a press conference at Minneapolis’ Karmel Mall.
“He wanted to come get the person he thought was protecting the Somalis,” Omar said of the 55-year-old suspect Anthony Kazmierczak.
Kazmierczak rushed the stage during a town hall event in North Minneapolis Wednesday and used a syringe to spray the Somali-born congresswoman with a foul-smelling liquid, according to witnesses and video footage.
The liquid was later determined to be apple cider vinegar.
Kazmierczak, who was described by a neighbor as being “heavily medicated” and a Trump supporter, is being held by authorities on third-degree assault charges.
Omar was uninjured in the attack and continued her remarks at the town hall a few moments after the incident.
“Blame is very interesting, but facts are more important,” Omar said.
The congresswoman claimed “the facts” show that since she has held elected office, “every time the president of the United States has chosen to use hateful rhetoric to talk about me and the community that I represent, my death threats skyrocket.”
The congresswoman said threats against her “plummeted” in the four years Trump was out of office, only to jump back up to “the highest” of all members of Congress since Trump “reassumed his vitriol.”
“I wouldn’t be where I am at today — having to pay for security, having the government to think about providing me security — if Donald Trump wasn’t in office and if he wasn’t so obsessed with me,” Omar charged.
“It is ironic that just last night, [Trump] was on stage, moments before I was attacked, talking about me,” she continued, referring to remarks the president made at an Iowa rally.
“Then when asked about my attack, he said, ‘I don’t think about her.’ Does he not remember? Is he suffering from dementia?”
Trump — who has previously called for Omar to be jailed or deported – told rally-goers in Iowa Tuesday that the Minnesota congresswoman “comes from a country that’s a disaster.”
“It’s considered, I think, the worst [country]. It’s not even a country,” he said.
The president later told ABC News that Omar “probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.” The White House did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
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