George Mason University Professor Tim Groseclose wrote yesterday to advise that the Star Tribune staff report on Ilhan Omar’s Colbert appearance last week is worse than I noted. He writes: “The Star Tribune did not provide accurate quotes. Most important, in the Colbert interview she doesn’t even mention the word ‘marriage,’ much less criticize her critics for the married-her-brother claim. I posted some tweets [starting here] with a few more details. I’ve copied them below.”
Here is the text of Professor Groseclose’s tweets on the article:
1/ Something really odd about this Minn. Star Tribune article. Read the paragraph that begins “In return…” It quotes Rep. Omar saying “when people say I was already married.” Next it inserts “[a false accusation that she had married her own brother].”
2/ Maybe it’s false that Omar married her own brother. But it’s definitely not false that she was married before. Not even Omar disputes that.
3/ But here’s what’s even more odd. The Star Tribune posts the video. Its quotes seem to come exclusively from the 4:17-4:58 segment. Despite the Star Tribune’s quote, Omar doesn’t say anything about her marriage—not in that segment or anywhere else in the video.
4/ Omar’s purpose seems to be to respond to her critics. If the married-to-her-brother claim were really false, wouldn’t it be excellent ammunition to mention it? It would make her critics seem like loony conspiracy theorists.
5/ Why didn’t Omar address the married-her-brother claims? Why does the Minneapolis Star Tribune want to fool us into thinking that she addressed the claims?
I have posted the Omar/Colbert video below. Omar offers an excuse of ignorance regarding her habitual anti-Semitic statements leading up to the 90 seconds about which Professor Groseclose writes. Dave Orrick exposed the essential falsity of this excuse in a February 13 Pioneer Press story. As for the Star Tribune, there must be a mistake somewhere.
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