In late February, Ilhan Omar responded to a Glenn Greenwald tweet, in which he highlighted how Republican House Members were threatening to punish her for being critical of Israel, by saying, “Its all about the Benjamins baby.” The implication being that these senators have an economic incentive in stifling her critiques of Israel.

She later clarified her position, by stating how American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, was funding Republican support for Israel. Many called her remarks ‘anti-Semitic’ and it was met with fierce backlash by Democrats and Republicans alike.

Some, including Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, have defended Omar’s comments pointing out how Israel is not the equivalent of Jews and it is legitimate to criticize its government.

One of the most outward and notable critics of Omar is Chelsea Clinton, the only child of former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Secretary of State and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

When Omar was first condemned by Batya Ungar-Sargon, Chelsea tweeted “Co-signed as an American.” Many said that this was a way of her implying Omar, a refugee from Somalia, is not an American.

These seemingly nativist comments come at a time when many conservatives are spouting Islamophobia, questioning Omar’s citizenship by insinuating that Omar married her brother to obtain citizenship, and calling for her deportation or removal from office.

Clinton wasn’t the only one to use nativist language to criticize Omar, and she certainly wasn’t the worst; however, she arguably is one of the few who is supposedly a Democrat and easily has the largest following of any of Omar’s critics.

Then on March 15, 2019, an extremist white-supremacist murdered 50 Muslims, injuring an additional 50 people, during their Friday prayer in Christchurch, New Zealand. The terrorist’s attacks come at a time of fervent Islamophobia and a growing wave of fascistic white nationalism. Many have attempted to contextualize and understand the motives of this barbarous attack. Essential to any comprehensive understanding and contextualization of this tragic event is the acknowledgement of the culture of Islamophobia that exists within the elite and media class, and the rarity that this position is ever challenged. And many would be justified in saying that with Chelsea Clinton’s recent demagoguing of Ilhan Omar, the young Clinton is a contributor to that culture.

On March 15^th, while attending a vigil for the New Zealand attacks held by NYU students, Chelsea Clinton was confronted by an angry student about her rhetoric towards Muslims.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaMnmgZ9zSA