ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — There are probably not two more polar opposite political figures in America than Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who is a candidate for U.S. Senate in Alabama.
While speaking to a gathering of Baldwin County Republicans on Saturday, Sessions talked about a back-and-forth dialogue between the two that played out over Twitter.
Former US Attorney General @JeffSessions in Robertsdale for the Baldwin County GOP Coffee Club #alpolitics pic.twitter.com/ixB5sekrmz
— Jeff Poor (@jeff_poor) June 6, 2020
“I had a little dust-up with Ilhan Omar over the night,” he said. “I don’t know if y’all have seen it — it has kind of gone viral, our little exchange. But we said that she was wrong, we tweeted out that she was wrong — that we needed real police. We just didn’t need thought police. We should fund the police, and not the thought police. She popped me back. We popped her back.”
The exchange began when Sessions responded to a tweet from Omar calling for the disbanding of the Minneapolis Police Department in her hometown.
Radical Leftists like Ilhan Omar and the rest of "the Squad" are dead wrong.
Don't defund the police. Defund the thought police. https://t.co/NfrQnB4zSM
— Jeff Sessions (@jeffsessions) June 5, 2020
Omar responded by suggesting Sessions “sit this one out” given allegations that surfaced during his 1986 confirmation hearings for a judicial appointment to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, which fell short.
You called the NAACP Un-American and said you thought the Klu Klux Klan were okay until you learned they smoked pot.
Maybe sit this one out. https://t.co/PWIqzGuj3c
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) June 5, 2020
Sessions responded by making mention of Omar’s controversial remarks on the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and claims she celebrated antisemitism. Then he followed up with a question about Omar’s brother, who was part of an FBI investigation into his immigration status, and claims Omar married her brother to aid the immigration process.
You brushed off the 9/11 attacks as "some people did something." You've celebrated anti-Semitism. You have a habit of rooting for the bad guys, and you should stop unfairly demonizing our brave law enforcement officers. I for one will never sit out defending those who defend us. https://t.co/tBuv8l4BGa
— Jeff Sessions (@jeffsessions) June 5, 2020
How's your brother, by the way?
— Jeff Sessions (@jeffsessions) June 5, 2020
Omar replied that her brother was “not so well,” claiming he was struggling with systemic racism.
Not so well, just like many black men in our country his is fighting systematic racism and people like you.
I know how busy you are crying over losing the Trump endorsement, so thanks for checking in. https://t.co/NhajBmeiy0
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) June 6, 2020
Sessions faces former Auburn head football coach Tommy Tuberville on July 14 in a Republican primary runoff for the opportunity to compete against incumbent Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL), who now occupies the U.S. Senate seat Sessions held for 20 years before serving as U.S. Attorney General.
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.