Nancy Pelosi donated $14,000 to Ilhan Omar's reelection campaign
The records show Pelosi donated $10,000 from her political action committee (PAC), with another $4,000 coming from her own campaign committee.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFU.S. Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) takes part with Democratic leaders (including U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, left) during the announcement of the introduction of the Equality Act at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, U.S., March 13, 2019(photo credit: LEAH MILLIS/REUTERS)
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi donated $14,000 to Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar's reelection campaign, according to the Jewish News Syndicate, citing Federal Election Commission records.The records show Pelosi donated $10,000 from her political action committee (PAC), with another $4,000 coming from her own campaign committee.The donations took place on July 22, a week after Pelosi endorsed Omar's reelection efforts.“Ilhan is a valued and important Member of our Caucus,” Pelosi said in a statement at the time. “In her first term, Ilhan has already established herself as a leader on a host of issues — from child nutrition to housing to US-Africa relations.”This news also comes after Antone Melton-Meaux, who is Omar's chief opponent in the upcoming Democratic primary on August 11, successfully outraised the incumbent congresswoman by a landslide between April and June, netting $3.3 million to match Omar's $470,000.Part of Melton-Meaux's success was criticizing Omar's anti-Israel views and policies, such as her endorsement of the Boycot, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign targeting the Jewish state, of which she is one of two members of Congress alongside Michigan's Rashida Tlaib to support.Omar has faced several allegations of antisemitism in the past. This includes a 2012 tweet when she said "Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel," a February 2019 tweet referring to American politician's support of Israel which stated "It's all about the Benjamins baby" and a statement later that same month where she said "I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country."Pelosi is not the only notable politician to lend their support to Omar, with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders having given her an official endorsement in mid-July.Aaron Reich and Ron Kampeas/JTA contributed to this report.
