Republican Representative Lauren Boebert of Colorado apologized to the Muslim community on Friday for remarks she made regarding the Democrats' "Squad" member Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota that were widely interpreted as Islamophobic.
"I apologize to anyone in the Muslim community I offended with my comment about Rep. Omar," Boebert said in a statement on Twitter. "I have reached out to her office to speak with her directly. There are plenty of policy differences to focus on without this unnecessary distraction."
In the video of Boebert which has gone viral, the congresswoman told constituents a story about how she was stepping into a Capitol elevator with a colleague when she noticed a Capitol police officer sprinting toward them "with fret all over his face" in an attempt to stop the elevator door from shutting.
"I look to my left and there she is: Ilhan Omar. And I said, ‘Well, she doesn’t have a backpack. We should be fine,'" Boebert said to applause. "I looked over and I said, ‘Oh look, the jihad squad decided to show up for work today.'"
She claimed before her supporters that "it’s just her staffers on Twitter that talk for her. She’s not tough in person," in reference to Omar.
The non-profit PatriotTakes also shared a picture of Boebert at the event, in which she is seen wearing a t-shirt with an inscription that read: "Guns don't kill people. Alec Baldwin does."
The controversial remarks prompted some commentators to demand that she be removed from her committee positions.
Meanwhile, Omar claimed the interaction never took place.
"Fact, this buffoon looks down when she sees me at the Capitol, this whole story is made up," Omar tweeted. "Sad she thinks bigotry gets her clout."
"Anti-Muslim bigotry isn’t funny & shouldn’t be normalized," the progressive "Squad" member added. "Congress can’t be a place where hateful and dangerous Muslims tropes get no condemnation."
Omar's fellow "Squad" members also condemned Boebert, with Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, also a Muslim, saying: "These pathetic racist lies will not only endanger the life of @IlhanMN, but will increase hate crimes towards Muslims."
"The continued silence & inaction towards this hate-filled colleague and others is enabling violence. It must stop," she added.
Representative Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts called the remarks "shameful, deeply offensive & dangerous."
"Yet another blatant display of Islamophobia targeting @IlhanMN. These comments are personally hurtful, legitimately endanger her & the broader Muslim community. Rhetoric like this must be denounced & anyone spewing it held to account," she stated on Twitter.
Representative Cori Bush of Missouri, in her turn, called the Capitol "a toxic work environment for Muslim members and staff when bigots routinely spew racist, Islamophobic vitriol unchecked and with no consequence."
"Congresswoman @IlhanMN, we love you, and we pray for your well-being and protection from this despicable abuse," she said, addressing her colleague.
In the same speech, according to a video shared online, Boebert also made several statements calling the current residence of former US President Donald Trump in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, "the new White House" and endorsing the latter's claims that the 2020 election was "rigged."
She also prompted the crowd to chant "Let's go, Brandon", a euphemistic phrase that has become popular as an alternative to a more profane one used to express opposition to incumbent President Biden. Boebert, however, noted that she likes the original, obscene version of the chant better.
Earlier this month, Boebert made headlines by ridiculing another Squad member, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, posting photos of herself in a red dress with the slogan "Let's Go Brandon" written in white on the back.
The attire was an apparent jab at AOC, who donned a white dress at this year's Met Gala, an elite yearly event to raise money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, with the phrase "Tax The Rich" in red.