GOP Rep. Fine Considers Forcing House Vote To Boot Ilhan Omar
Rep. Randy Fine, a Republican from Florida, is reportedly considering forcing a House vote to expel Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota. Fine told Axios on Wednesday that he is actively weighing the move.
He said the potential action would be based on allegations that Omar married her brother, along with what he described as her “general embrace of Muslim terror,” Axios reported.
“I don’t think she should be a citizen, let alone a member of Congress,” Fine told the outlet.
The comments followed a fundraising email from Omar’s campaign calling for Fine to be expelled from Congress over past remarks in which he said Muslims should be “destroyed.”
“I won’t send out fundraising emails calling for her expulsion,” Fine told Axios. “If I’m going to do that, you will see me bring the piece of paper. And I am actively considering that.”
Axios noted that expelling a member of the House requires a two-thirds vote.
With Republicans holding only a narrow majority, at least 85 Democrats would need to support the effort for it to succeed.
Omar has also faced renewed scrutiny in recent weeks related to fraud tied to the Somali community in her Minnesota district.
The controversy centers on the Minnesota “Feeding Our Future” program, which authorities have linked to approximately $250 million in fraud connected to the MEALS Act passed during COVID lockdowns.
Omar supported the legislation and has defended her role.
“Do you regret pushing for that bill, the MEALS Act? Do you think it led to the fraud?” Fox News reporter Nicholas Ballasy asked Omar earlier this month, according to Fox News.
“Absolutely not, it did help feed kids,” Omar replied.
President Donald Trump has also sharply criticized Omar in recent weeks.
Earlier this month, Trump referred to the congresswoman as “garbage” and raised broader concerns about large scale migration from Third World nations such as Somalia, according to NBC News.
“I don’t want them in our country. I’ll be honest with you, okay,” Trump said.
“Somebody will say, ‘Oh, that’s not politically correct.’ I don’t care,” he added.
“I don’t want them in our country. Their country is no good for a reason,” Trump continued.
“Her friends are garbage,” Trump said, referring to Omar. “These aren’t people that work. These aren’t people that say, ‘Let’s go, come on, let’s make this place great.’ These are people that do nothing but complain.”
Republican challenger John Nagel is accusing Rep. Omar of being closely linked to the $1 billion Feeding Our Future fraud scandal, which is based in her Minneapolis congressional district. Nagel, who is running against Omar in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, claims that legislation introduced by Omar contributed to the circumstances that allowed the fraud to take place.
“Where did this actually start?” Nagel said, Townhall reported. “She passed legislation. Her legislation actually started it, and it allowed people to get into Feeding Our Future.” Nagel pointed to the geographic concentration of the fraud.
“If you look at where the fraud is, it’s primarily her district, the district that I’m running in against her,” he said. “And it’s really odd to think that all the fraud just happened in a particular area.”
Omar introduced the Maintaining Essential Access to Lunch for Students Act, known as the MEALS Act, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill allowed states to provide free meals to children during school closures through alternative methods such as grab-and-go distribution and eased eligibility requirements. Omar has denied any wrongdoing.
The legislation was passed by Congress with bipartisan support.
Nagel further alleged that individuals connected to Omar’s political circle financially benefited from the fraud scheme. He said Omar held campaign events at Safari Restaurant, a business tied to the Feeding Our Future investigation, and claimed she had personal familiarity with one of the restaurant’s owners who has since been convicted.
