President Donald Trump, reacting sight unseen to breaking news that Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., had been sprayed with what the media described as a "liquid" that appeared urine-colored, claimed the incident was staged.
That very narrative has been viral by conservatives on social media Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning, but Trump was asked about the incident shortly after the news broke and before he had seen it.
"No. I don't think about her; I think she's a fraud; I really don't think about that: She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her," Trump told an ABC News reporter.
Trump admitted he has not seen the C-SPAN feed of the town hall incident that media, Capitol Police, and Democrat backers are calling an "attack."
"I haven't seen it, no, no," Trump added to ABC. "I hope I don't have to bother."
A man sitting in the front row of her small town hall gathering rose as Omar called for Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's impeachment, walking toward the podium and spraying yellow-urine-colored liquid from a syringe.
Notably, the man was drifting away from the podium and Omar walked toward the alleged attacker with a defiant fist raised before the man was tackled to the ground by a larger man, perhaps a personal Omar security guard.
Minneapolis police immediately arrested him and booked him at the county jail for third-degree assault, spokesperson Trevor Folke said. Forensic scientists responded to the scene.
Police identified the man as Anthony Kazmierczak, 55.
There was a strong, vinegar-like smell after the man pushed on the syringe, according to an Associated Press journalist who was there. There was no immediate word from officials on what the urine-colored liquid was.
Minneapolis Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw said some of the substance also came into contact with her and Democrat state Sen. Bobby Joe Champion. She called it a deeply unsettling experience.
No one in the crowd of about 100 people had a noticeable physical reaction to the substance.
Walking out afterward, Omar said she felt a little flustered but was not hurt. She was going to be screened by a medical team.
She later posted on the social platform X: "I'm ok. I'm a survivor so this small agitator isn't going to intimidate me from doing my work. I don't let bullies win."
Trump has frequently criticized the congresswoman and has stepped up verbal attacks on her in recent months as he turned his focus on Minneapolis. During a Cabinet meeting in December, he referred to her as "garbage."
Hours earlier Tuesday, the president criticized Omar as he spoke to a crowd in Iowa, saying his administration would only let in immigrants who "can show that they love our country."
"They have to be proud, not like Ilhan Omar," he said, drawing loud boos at the mention of her name.
He added: "She comes from a country that's a disaster. So probably, it's considered, I think — it's not even a country."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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