Democrats block GOP effort to censure Rep. Ilhan Omar for Charlie Kirk comments

WASHINGTON – Rep. Ilhan Omar has found herself at the center of an effort by congressional Republicans to punish those who celebrated the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk or spoke ill of him after his death.

Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican who’s running for governor in her home state of South Carolina, brought a resolution forward this week that sought to censure Omar and strip her of her committee assignments for her comments about Kirk after his death.

But Democrats were able to block Mace’s resolution in a 214-213 vote Wednesday evening with the help of four Republicans who joined them.

“Democrats and these 4 ‘Republicans’ chose Ilhan Omar over decency, over justice, and over Charlie Kirk’s family,” Mace posted on X after the vote. “They showed us exactly who they are. Never forget it.”

The four Republicans who joined Democrats are Reps. Mike Flood of Nebraska, Jeff Hurd of Colorado, Tom McClintock of California and Cory Mills of Florida. Minnesota’s four GOP members of Congress supported the censure resolution.

Omar quickly condemned Kirk’s assassination after the killing and said she felt for his family but grappled with Kirk’s legacy during an interview.

“Nancy Mace wants to lecture Ilhan Omar and Democrats about civility. Are you kidding me?” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters during a news conference. “It’s not a serious effort. It’s an effort to drive donors into her gubernatorial campaign.”

In the clip, she discussed his position on guns and criticized Kirk for downplaying the death of George Floyd, as well as slavery and “what Black people have gone through in this country by saying Juneteenth should never exist.”

Things intensified after Omar reposted a video on social media of a narrator criticizing Kirk for being a “stochastic terrorist, an adamant transphobe.”

“You used your platform to share a disgusting video - a video full of lies that tries to justify the actions of the deranged coward who murdered Charlie Kirk,” Rep. Tom Emmer said on X.

Omar’s chief of staff, Connor McNutt, sent an email to all U.S. House chiefs of staff warning them that much of Mace’s resolution focused on things taken out of context in the interview clip and words spoken by a narrator in video not Omar.

“Congresswoman Omar was one of the first to condemn Charlie Kirk’s murder. She explicitly expressed her sympathies and prayers to his wife and children,” a spokesperson for Omar said. “She condemned his assassination and has routinely condemned political violence, no matter the political ideology. In her interview, she also grappled with his divisive legacy, but she in no way implied violence was deserved, nor did she celebrate his death.”

Both motions came at a critical time for Congress as Republicans try to pass a continuing resolution bill by week’s end to avoid a government shutdown.

The last time a motion to censure a House member advanced, five Republicans joined all Democrats in voting to table the measure.

Minnesota GOP Reps. Michelle Fischbach and Pete Stauber both said they had not seen Mace’s resolution when asked about it on Tuesday.

Kirk’s death and the censure debate have raised questions over free speech and what crosses the line.

DFL Rep. Betty McCollum said in an interview that the censure effort was being deliberately used to intensify the divide between Democrats and Republicans.

This isn’t the first time Republicans have tried to censure Omar, who was ousted from the House Foreign Affairs Committee in 2023 over her controversial past statements on Israel.