Ilhan Omar, Nancy Mace spar on social media ahead of vote on censure resolution

Rep. Nancy Mace on Wednesday prodded Somalia to take back Rep. Ilhan Omar because of her comments about assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Ms. Omar, who was born in Somalia, responded by saying Ms. Mace isn’t “well or smart,”

It was the latest volley of insults between the congresswomen, whose Capitol Hill offices are next door to each other. The clash is also part of a larger partisan feud over the role of divisive rhetoric in Mr. Kirk’s killing last week.

Ms. Mace, South Carolina Republican, is trying to get Ms. Omar, Minnesota Democrat, kicked off House committees because of her criticism of Mr. Kirk’s views.

Ms. Mace said Ms. Omar’s comments “mocked [and] smeared” Mr. Kirk after his death.

“If you celebrate murder, maybe Somalia can take you back,” Ms. Mace wrote Wednesday while pointing to a post Ms. Omar made in 2022 that says the First Amendment protects freedom of speech, but does not protect people from being shamed or shunned by others.

In response, Ms. Omar wrote, “I know you aren’t well or smart but I hope someone can explain to you that there isn’t a correlation between my committee assignments and deportation. Regardless of what you do with these committees, my office will continue to be next to you and I will continue to be in Congress.”

Ms. Omar, a naturalized American citizen, is the first Somali-American elected to Congress.

Ms. Mace hit back again, saying she will soon be leading the debate over Ms. Omar’s potential censure and removal from committees.

In other posts, she wrote, “One-way ticket to Somalia with your name on it, Ilhan Omar,” and “We would love to see you deported back to Somalia next.”

Ms. Omar shot back: “Is your ridiculous censure about me being born in Somalia? Because that’s just as crazy as you are.”

In another social media post, Ms. Omar said she was going back to Somalia soon and urged Ms. Mace to “drop off the tickets on your way to your office.”

In another, she wrote, “Would love to see you get the help you need next. You belong in rehab, not Congress.”

Ms. Mace then said Ms. Omar “should be stripped of her seat and her citizenship.”

In another post, she revived allegations that Ms. Omar was once married to her brother, something Ms. Omar denies.

She also posted a poll to her X page, asking people whether Ms. Omar should be censured.

Ms. Mace has also called out other people she views as celebrating Mr. Kirk’s death. On her X account, she has posted multiple examples of people being fired from universities for their comments on social media.

On Tuesday, she introduced the privileged resolution to have Ms. Omar censured and removed from the Committee on Education and Workforce and the Committee on the Budget.

“We have officially filed a resolution to censure Ilhan Omar and remove her from her committee assignments,” Ms. Mace wrote Tuesday on X. “Charlie Kirk was assassinated for speaking the truth, and Ilhan Omar mocked him for it. There MUST be consequences for glorifying political violence. HOLD THE LINE.”

Ms. Mace’s resolution pointed to examples of Ms. Omar disparaging Mr. Kirk, like an interview with left-wing commentator Mehdi Hasan on his platform, Zeteo.

One example is an interview Ms. Omar did with left-wing commentator Mehdi Hasan on his platform, Zeteo, where she said Republicans are “full of s—-” for attacking the left over Mr. Kirk’s death.

Ms Omar said that the resolution contains comments she never said.

“Fun fact: Nancy Mace is trying to censure me over comments I never said,” she wrote Tuesday on X. “This is all an attempt to push a false story so she can fundraise and boost her run for governor.”