Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota called out President Donald Trump’s use of “hateful rhetoric” against her and suggested he has made her a target for other attacks.
“What the facts have shown, since I’ve gotten into elected office, is that 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,” said Omar on Wednesday.
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“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,” she added.
Omar also accused the rhetoric of the “right wing” of being a tactic to stop her from being in public service. “It’s not going to work,” she said, emphasizing that “fear and intimidation” won’t work on her.
The Congresswoman was approached by a man with a syringe on Tuesday afternoon during a Town Hall meeting in Minneapolis. The man sprayed her with an unknown substance before being restrained by on-site security. Police have since identified the suspect in the attack as 55-year-old Anthony J. Kazmierczak. He has been arrested on suspicion of third degree assault. The FBI is now investigating.
A social media account believed to belong to Kazmierczak has featured profile pictures of Trump and has also uploaded cartoons criticizing Democrats’ policies.
Trump has long targeted Omar and her birthplace Somalia during his anti-immigration speeches and remarks.
In December, while delivering an address in Pennsylvania, Trump referenced Omar during an ant-immigration tirade, claiming she does “nothing but b-tch” and arguing she comes from a county considered to be “the worst” in the world. “We ought to get her the hell out,” the President said, pausing as members of the crowd chanted “send her back.”
Omar, who was born in Somalia and gained her U.S. citizenship aged 17 in 2000, responded at the time by saying Trump’s “obsession” with her is “beyond weird” and went on to call him a “national embarrassment.”
Protesters and Democratic lawmakers condemned Trump’s targeting of Minnesota’s Somali Community in December after he said Somalia is “barely a country” and referred to Somali immigrants as “garbage.”
“Our country’s at a tipping point, we could go bad, one way or the other, and we’re going to go the wrong way if we keep taking garbage into our country,” he claimed during a Cabinet meeting.
The President has pointed to well-documented instances of “fraud” in Minnesota involving people of Somali ancestry and welfare programs, and has seemingly taken to blaming the community as a whole rather than the individuals involved.
The Trump Administration is currently facing widespread scrutiny over its immigration enforcement in Minnesota after two U.S. citizens—Alex Pretti and Renee Good, both 37—were fatally shot by federal agents on the streets of Minneapolis.
In the wake of Pretti’s shooting, Trump lashed out at the Democratic leadership of Minnesota and appeared to refer to the shooting as a “cover-up” for the fraud investigations taking place in the state.
Earlier this week, Trump said the Justice Department is “looking at” Omar specifically.
“The DOJ and Congress are looking at Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who left Somalia with NOTHING, and is now reportedly worth more than 44 Million Dollars. Time will tell all,” he claimed.
Trump has since announced the appointment of his first “Fraud Czar,” sparking concerns of politicized investigations.
Hours before Omar was attacked on Tuesday, Trump mentioned Omar as he gave a speech in Iowa. On the subject of immigrants, he said: “They have to show that they can love our country. They have to be proud. Not like Ilhan Omar.”
After the attack, Trump’s initial response saw him suggest, without evidence, that Omar had staged the incident herself.
“I don’t think about her. I think she’s a fraud,” Trump told ABC News. “She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.”
In response to the unfounded claim, Omar said Trump lacks “compassion” and pointed to the fact her attack, much like the deaths of Good and Pretti, was “caught on camera.”
During an interview with CNN, Omar went on to suggest it could be “time” for the 25th Amendment to be invoked, echoing remarks made by several of her Democratic colleagues who have also suggested invoking the Amendment to remove Trump from office.
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