Source: Tom Williams / Getty
A North Carolina congressman is facing backlash after replying to a Muslim congresswoman’s tweet with a reference to the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
After Friday’s Capitol attack that left a police officer killed, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) tweeted her condolences, and said how the attack could have been worse.
“Heartbroken to learn another CP was killed while protecting the Capitol. My thoughts and prayers go out to the officer’s family and the entire Capitol Police force. The death toll would have been worse if the assailant had an AR-15 instead of a knife,” the tweet reads.
Congressman Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) responded to Omar by saying, “Would have been worse @Ilhan if they had been flying planes into the buildings also.” The tweet has since been deleted by Murphy.
On Sunday, The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called out Murphy for targeting Omar.
“CAIR #Islamophobia Watch: #NorthCarolina Rep. #GregMurphy is facing criticism after tagging Muslim congresswoman @Ilhan Omar in a now-deleted tweet invoking the September 11th terror attacks,” the civil rights advocacy organization tweeted.
Murphy represents North Carolina’s third district which covers the Atlantic coast including the Outer Banks and the counties adjacent to the Pamlico Sound.
This is not the first time for the North Carolina Congressman to send out a controversial tweet. In October, he was critical of then-VP candidate Kamala Harris and wrote, “@KamalaHarris is a walking disaster…she was only picked for her color and her race…is that how we pick our leaders now in America??”
Representatives for Omar and Murphy declined to comment.
