'Stupidest vote in the world': House GOPers beg reporters to stay mum after decrying Omar’s committee removal

03 February 2023

A pair of House GOP members revealed their real thoughts on Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) decision to boot Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar from her seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee after their colleagues' voted in favor of her removal, Insider reports.

West Coast Republican Reps. Ken Buck (R-CO) and Mike Simpson (R-ID) spoke to one another in what they hoped was a private elevator conversation, slamming their colleagues' vote to oust the congresswoman.

Roll Call reports Buck told Simpson that their fellow GOP members had just moved forward with the “stupidest vote in the world.” In agreement, Simpson lamented to Buck that the vote would likely make Omar a “martyr.”

According to Insider, almost immediately following their exchange, the two congressmen pleaded with the press to keep their comments under wraps and "not to let leadership know their thoughts."

The vote for Omar's dismissal from the committee moved forward even after a handful of poignant House floor speeches from Democratic representatives supporting Omar denounced the notion to remove their colleague.

Visibly frustrated by the matter, New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Osacio-Cortez said, "Don't tell me that this is about a condemnation of anti-Semitic remarks, when you have a member of the Republican caucus who has talked about Jewish space lasers, and also elevated her to some of the highest committee assignments in this body. This is about targeting women of color in the United States of America."

AlterNet reports that House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said during his speech, "what’s going to take place on the floor today is not a public policy debate. It’s not about accountability. It’s about political revenge."

From Your Site Articles