Do you remember all the hubbub over the World Cup in 2022? It was seen as a big deal by lots of people simply for the fact that it was the first time the contest took place in an Arab country.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) attended the event, and her trip was apparently paid for by Qatar, one of the leading funders of the terror group Hamas. I’m sure you’re just as shocked as I am over this.
Gabe Kaminsky reports at the Washington Examiner:
‘Squad’ Democrat Ilhan Omar’s World Cup trip funded by Hamas-tied Qatar“Squad” Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), who has come under fire from Democrats and Republicans for anti-Israel remarks, had her 2022 World Cup trip paid for by the government of Qatar, an Arab country that has been a top funder of the terrorist group Hamas.The Minnesota Democrat posted pictures on social media in November 2022 of her trip to the World Cup alongside Qatari officials, noting, “It was such a delight to root for #TeamUSA at the World Cup in Qatar and today we are excited to root for them here at home.” Newly filed financial disclosures show Qatar funded Omar’s travel there while also footing the bill for her lodging and food.The revelation comes after Omar’s office declined in December 2022 to tell the New York Times what the funding source was for the congresswoman’s overseas trip. A spokesperson for the Qatari Embassy in Washington told Jewish Insider that Omar “accepted an invitation from the Embassy of Qatar to attend events in Doha in November 2022 as part of a program authorized under the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act,” which permits members of Congress to enjoy foreign government-backed trips if the lawmakers later report them on forms.
Chuck Ross of the Washington Free Beacon makes a great point about this:
All About the (Qatari) Benjamins: Qatar Funded Ilhan Omar’s World Cup TripThe foreign junket suggests Omar is less interested in how the Gulf nation gains influence over Congress than the Jewish State, whose support among U.S. lawmakers she attributed to money. “It’s all about the Benjamins baby,” Omar tweeted in 2019 in reference to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, America’s most prominent pro-Israel advocacy group. Omar has also said “Israel has hypnotized the world.” Congress voted to remove Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee earlier this year over those remarks and others. She once compared the United States and Israel to the terrorist groups Hamas and the Taliban, saying that all have committed “crimes against humanity.” Qatar is Hamas’s largest funder.Jonathan Schanzer, senior vice president for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said Omar’s coziness to Qatar shows her “selective outrage” when it comes to foreign influence.
Omar leads something of a charmed life as a member of Congress.
Yes. We do remember that.
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