New York congressman and gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin was in the room when fellow Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert made what are being condemned as “Islamophobic” remarks.


What You Need To Know

  • Rep. Lauren Boebert called Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, a Muslim who wears a hijab, a member of the "Jihad Squad" during an event in NYC

  • Approached by Spectrum News NY1 on Wednesday, Zeldin said, “I think that Ilhan Omar should be tossed out of Congress today.”

  • Democrats on Capitol Hill are condemning Boebert

Video shows him sitting at a nearby table as Boebert addressed a Staten Island conservative gathering in early September:

 


During her speech, the Colorado Republican told a story about encountering Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, a Muslim who wears a hijab.

"I said, ‘Well, lookey there. It's the Jihad Squad,'” Boebert said, before suggesting she felt safe because Omar did not have a backpack.

The comments were reported by the Staten Island Advance at the time, but have come under scrutiny on Capitol Hill after video surfaced of Boebert making similar comments in November.

Zeldin, who represents Long Island’s East End, is favored to win the Republican nomination for governor next year. In the video, his immediate reaction to Boebert’s remarks are obstructed from view.

Approached by Spectrum News NY1 on Wednesday, Zeldin said, “I think that Ilhan Omar should be tossed out of Congress today,” and said to speak to Boebert about her comments.

Zeldin's congressional office did not respond to multiple follow-up requests for comment about Boebert’s “Jihad Squad” remarks in particular.

Democrats on Capitol Hill are condemning Boebert. New York Reps. Jamaal Bowman, Ritchie Torres, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Adriano Espaillat, Yvette Clarke, Mondaire Jones and Carolyn Maloney have joined with dozens of other House Democrats in calling for Boebert to be stripped of her committee assignments.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries said they are “going to need to make sure that Lauren Boebert is held accountable for her hatred, for her bigotry, for her Islamophobia.”

What that accountability looks like remains unclear. He said discussions were ongoing about a possible response.