A Republican Florida congressional candidate implied in a fundraising email that Ilhan Omar should be hanged
- A fundraising email for a Florida congressional implied that freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and other "traitors" should be hanged for treason, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
- A November 26 campaign email from George Buck, a Republican running for Congress in St. Petersburg, Florida, said that America "should hang these traitors where they stand."
- The email also repeated an unsupported claim that Omar is an "asset" working with Qatar to pass state secrets onto Iran.
- Buck's campaign email comes days after Omar's Republican congressional campaign opponent Danielle Stella was banned from Twitter for suggesting that Omar be tried and hanged for treason.
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A fundraising email for a Florida congressional candidate implied that freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and other "traitors" should be hanged for treason, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
The email also repeated an unsupported claim that Omar is an "asset" working with Qatar to pass state secrets onto Iran.
A November 26 campaign email from George Buck, a Republican running for Congress in St. Petersburg, Florida, said that America "should hang these traitors where they stand."
The Times report added that it was unclear who Buck was referring to as "traitors," though US Reps. Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib were mentioned, along with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Buck's political rival Rep. Charlie Crist. The email also contained falsehoods about Crist and Ocasio-Cortez.
Buck initially told the Times that he didn't write the email, saying: "That was not me. I did not see that ... I would never talk like that."
He followed up with another statement, the Times reported, which appeared to support the email and reiterated the definition and punishment for treason in the US, which includes a possible fine, jail time, and even death.
Buck's email comes days after Omar's Republican opponent Danielle Stella was banned from Twitter for suggesting that Omar be tried for treason, repeating the same unsupported claim about Omar's ties to Qatar.
The Somali-born congresswoman has denied the allegations, calling them "absurd."
Omar has been the target of several right-wing conspiracy theories. President Donald Trump also traded barbs with Omar and other freshman congresswomen of color on Twitter, telling them to "go back" to "broken and crime infested" countries.