Being one of the first two Muslim women elected to congress, Ilhan Omar was always going to have a difficult time with the GOP. She is a frequent target for criticism. House Republicans often call for her to be removed from committee assignments.
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Republican opponents also attack the Minnesota Rep. as being anti-police. Capitol cop Michael Fanone says nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, the officer says, he was recently blown away by a very unique encounter with Omar.
Fanone made the comments during a Thursday night appearance on Don Lemon’s CNN show. He told the host, “She went there (to a meeting with officers in involved in the riots), initially, to speak with one of my colleagues from the Metropolitan Police Department who was from the same area that she grew up,” Fanone said. “Which I found to be incredibly genuine and meaningful.”
“My interaction with her was very unique. When I asked to shake her hand and she shook my hand, I told the press there that, if they publish this photo, they need to put the headline up that ‘Hell has frozen over.’ Which was obviously just poking fun at the fact that, you know, she’s gotten a reputation, I think, of being anti-law enforcement. Which from some of the conversation I had with her, I found to be untrue.”
Watch a clip of the comments below, courtesy of CNN:
DC Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone speaks to @donlemon after attending the House vote to establish a select committee to investigate the January 6th Capitol attack.
Todd Neikirk is a New Jersey-based politics and technology writer. His work has been featured in psfk.com, foxsports.com, and PoliticusUSA. An avid pet lover, he has been known to contribute to Pet Lifestyles Magazine. He enjoys sports, politics, technology, and spending time at the shore with his family.
