Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who was voted off the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday, shouldn't have been surprised considering her past behavior, Rep. Jeff Van Drew told Newsmax.
"You have to represent some level of accountability when you're a congressperson," the New Jersey Republican told Newsmax's "John Bachman Now." "When you call Jewish folks 'dogs,' when you level the kinds of criticisms to their culture, to their faces, to their religion, the things that she said then, and other things that she has said as well, how can you be surprised when something like this happens?"
Omar lost her seat on the powerful committee by a 218-211 party-line vote after a heated debate, with Democrats accusing Republicans of targeting Omar, a Muslim, because of her race.
Omar also pushed back on the House floor, insisting she was being removed because "when you push power, power pushes back."
Van Drew said the move was also a matter of precedent set by Democrats when they removed Republicans from committees "for far, far less."
"The bottom line is her thoughts do not represent anything that I think is what we could be proud of or believe represents what a congressman should say, feel or do," said Van Drew. "I think it's an appropriate action … she's kind of boasting around when she thinks she's the only thing that we're thinking about. She's a little sideshow."
Van Drew also discussed the ongoing impasse between House Republicans and President Joe Biden over the debt ceiling, and said that even though House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said initial discussions with Biden went well, House members must have a "responsible debt ceiling" and stop excessive spending, particularly the "billions all over the world."
"We shouldn't cut things that people need, like Medicare and Social Security, and will not," Van Drew said. "We need a responsible debt ceiling. We just can't keep spending like this because it'll keep pushing inflation up. We just have to be circumspect. We have to be careful."
Van Drew also spoke out about the debate over whether the Pledge of Allegiance should be said, upon a request by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., before each meeting of the House Judiciary Committee.
"God help them because that's a terrible thing to actually have to stand up and pledge allegiance to the flag," Van Drew said. "They don't want to do the pledge. They voted it down last time when they were in control, and they're trying to not do it now.
"Not only should be there be a pledge, there should be a moment of silence. This is the pledge of allegiance of the greatest nation in the world."
Van Drew added that the pushback from Democrats "disgusted me. It was wrong. I can't believe they actually brought it up."
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
© 2023 Newsmax. All rights reserved.