Jim Riches, the father of an FDNY firefighter killed in the terror attack of September 11th, 2001, doubled down on his criticism of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) on Tuesday, demanding the freshman congresswoman apologize to him for downplaying the tragedy, according to the New York Post.
Riches, who penned a scathing New York Post opinion-editorial on Omar’s remarks last week, took aim at the Minnesota Democrat and other New York lawmakers at the annual Republican gala at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Manhattan.
“[Omar] owes us an apology and we are going to get it,’ Riches told attendees, before adding that the president was “100 percent right” for sharing a video of Omar’s remarks trivializing 9/11 with footage of the World Trade Center engulfed in flames.
Omar is facing a firestorm of criticism for trivializing the attack, describing it last month at a private fundraiser for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as a day on which “some people did something,” before adding “and that all of us were starting to lose our civil liberties.”
“They can’t deal with reality — Schumer, Nadler, all the New York politicians were quiet. They didn’t say one thing,” Riches continued.
Several Democrats, including freshmen congresswomen Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), accused President Trump of inciting violence against Omar by tweeting the video. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) even demanded the president remove the clip and said Capitol Police are conducting a security assessment to protect the Minnesota Democrat amid a growing number of death threats. On Tuesday, Pelosi admitted that she didn’t know what Omar had actually said about 9/11 before rushing to defend her.
The Post further reported that former New York Gov. George Pataki (R) received a standing ovation from the crowd upon demanding that Omar be removed from the influential House Foreign Affairs Committee.
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