The remarks came after O’Rourke faced criticism for not directly defending Omar by name in an earlier disavowal.
During the tail-end of a campaign event in South Carolina on Saturday, former Congressman and current presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke joined a chorus of other politicians slamming President Donald Trump for “inciting violence” against Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar.
O’Rourke’s public disavowal came after Trump uploaded an edited video Friday — which he retweeted Saturday — that juxtaposed Omar speaking at a conference for a Muslim lobbying group with a clip of the Twin Towers burning. The caption read « We Will Never Forget. »
« This is an incitement to violence against Congresswoman Omar, against our fellow Americans who happen to be Muslim, » O’Rourke said Saturday. « This is part and parcel of what we’ve seen from an administration that has described Mexican immigrants as rapists and criminals. »
The remarks also came after O’Rourke faced criticism for not directly defending Omar by name when he tweeted on Friday, « We are stronger than this president’s hatred and Islamophobia. Do not let him drive us apart or make us afraid. »
O’Rourke was in South Carolina to accept his first endorsement from a fellow politician, Rep. Marvin Pendarvis. Recent polling shows the former Texas lawmaker in a distant third place for the Democratic nomination, sandwiched below frontrunners Sen.
