"This disgusting and hateful speech is still speech and is protected by our First Amendment.”
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The House of Representatives on Wednesday narrowly voted to table a resolution to censure Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) over remarks she made following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The measure failed in a 214–213 vote, with four Republicans joining Democrats to block the resolution from advancing. Reps. Mike Flood (R-NE), Tom McClintock (R-CA), Jeff Hurd (R-CO), and Cory Mills (R-FL) all broke ranks with their party, citing First Amendment concerns.
McClintock told Fox News that while he condemned Omar’s remarks, he opposed punishing her through censure. “Ilhan Omar’s comments regarding the assassination of Charlie Kirk are vile and contemptible. They deserve the harshest criticism of every man and woman of good will. But this disgusting and hateful speech is still speech and is protected by our First Amendment,” McClintock said.
Hurd struck a similar tone. “Ilhan Omar’s comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk, as well as her comments about those who supported Charlie, are ghoulish and evil. I condemn them completely,” he said, but added, “The right response to reprehensible speech like this isn’t silencing: it’s more speech. That’s what Charlie Kirk believed and practiced, and I agree.”
Mills, who had faced his own retaliatory censure attempt by progressives, wrote on X that constitutional rights applied even to speech he disagreed with: “We may not like or agree with what someone says, but that does not mean we should deny their protected 1A Right.” Flood told the outlet that Omar’s comments should instead be reviewed by the House Ethics Committee before any punishment was considered.
The effort to censure Omar was led by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), who introduced the measure as a privileged resolution on Tuesday, forcing the House to take it up within two legislative days. Mace accused Omar of disparaging Kirk’s legacy in an interview with progressive outlet Zeteo shortly after his death. “One day after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Representative Ilhan Omar smeared Charlie Kirk and implied he was to blame for his own murder,” Mace said from the House floor.
Omar, a member of the progressive “Squad,” has faced backlash for criticizing Kirk’s record after his assassination at a college campus event in Utah. She told Zeteo that Kirk had “downplayed slavery and what Black people have gone through in this country by saying Juneteenth shouldn’t exist,” and rejected portrayals of him as merely a promoter of civil debate. Amid criticism, Omar later posted on X that her comments were being taken out of context, stressing that she had condemned Kirk’s murder and expressed sympathy for his family.
“While I disagreed with Charlie Kirk vehemently about his rhetoric, my heart breaks for his wife and children. I don’t wish violence on anyone,” she wrote.
Progressives defended Omar during the House fight. Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) accused Republicans of misrepresenting her statements, writing on X that “the quotes you used are not Ilhan’s words, they are not in context and do not prove your point.”
The censure attempt is one of several measures introduced against Omar in recent days. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), who is running for Senate, filed a separate resolution Monday seeking to strip her of her committee assignments.
The measure failed in a 214–213 vote, with four Republicans joining Democrats to block the resolution from advancing. Reps. Mike Flood (R-NE), Tom McClintock (R-CA), Jeff Hurd (R-CO), and Cory Mills (R-FL) all broke ranks with their party, citing First Amendment concerns.
McClintock told Fox News that while he condemned Omar’s remarks, he opposed punishing her through censure. “Ilhan Omar’s comments regarding the assassination of Charlie Kirk are vile and contemptible. They deserve the harshest criticism of every man and woman of good will. But this disgusting and hateful speech is still speech and is protected by our First Amendment,” McClintock said.
Hurd struck a similar tone. “Ilhan Omar’s comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk, as well as her comments about those who supported Charlie, are ghoulish and evil. I condemn them completely,” he said, but added, “The right response to reprehensible speech like this isn’t silencing: it’s more speech. That’s what Charlie Kirk believed and practiced, and I agree.”
Mills, who had faced his own retaliatory censure attempt by progressives, wrote on X that constitutional rights applied even to speech he disagreed with: “We may not like or agree with what someone says, but that does not mean we should deny their protected 1A Right.” Flood told the outlet that Omar’s comments should instead be reviewed by the House Ethics Committee before any punishment was considered.
The effort to censure Omar was led by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), who introduced the measure as a privileged resolution on Tuesday, forcing the House to take it up within two legislative days. Mace accused Omar of disparaging Kirk’s legacy in an interview with progressive outlet Zeteo shortly after his death. “One day after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Representative Ilhan Omar smeared Charlie Kirk and implied he was to blame for his own murder,” Mace said from the House floor.
Omar, a member of the progressive “Squad,” has faced backlash for criticizing Kirk’s record after his assassination at a college campus event in Utah. She told Zeteo that Kirk had “downplayed slavery and what Black people have gone through in this country by saying Juneteenth shouldn’t exist,” and rejected portrayals of him as merely a promoter of civil debate. Amid criticism, Omar later posted on X that her comments were being taken out of context, stressing that she had condemned Kirk’s murder and expressed sympathy for his family.
“While I disagreed with Charlie Kirk vehemently about his rhetoric, my heart breaks for his wife and children. I don’t wish violence on anyone,” she wrote.
Progressives defended Omar during the House fight. Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) accused Republicans of misrepresenting her statements, writing on X that “the quotes you used are not Ilhan’s words, they are not in context and do not prove your point.”
The censure attempt is one of several measures introduced against Omar in recent days. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), who is running for Senate, filed a separate resolution Monday seeking to strip her of her committee assignments.
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