(CNN) The chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee called Friday for freshman Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar to apologize after insinuating that pro-Israel groups are pushing "allegiance to a foreign country." Chairman Rep. Eliot Engel's demand comes after a bookstore event Wednesday where Omar argued that critics labeling her as an anti-Semite looked to silence a necessary conversation. "I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country," Omar said, according to The New York Times. In a fiery statement Friday night, Engel, a New York Democrat, took Omar to task for yet another controversial comment over the political influence of pro-Israel groups on politicians. Worse, Representative Omar's comments leveled that charge by invoking a vile anti-Semitic slur."

Source: CNN March 02, 2019 03:56 UTC