Ilhan Omar accuses Republican lawmaker of racist trope over Cori Bush charges

Ms Omar called on Congress to condemn Mr Nehls

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar called out a Republican lawmaker for invoking what she called a "racist and tired" trope while discussing Congresswoman Cori Bush.

Ms Bush has been accused of using her campaign funds to pay her husband for security services. She said she needed the security due to "relentless threats to my physical safety and life" on Tuesday, according to The New Republic.

Mr Nehls suggested that Ms Bush — a member of the progressive "Squad" — would not need security if she wasn't so "loud" and if she would "tone it down."

“The idea to pay her thug money to try to help protect her this and that, for what?” Mr Nehls, of Texas, said. “Maybe if she wouldn’t be so loud all the time, maybe she wouldn’t be getting threats.”

When pressed by CNN's Melanie Zanona on whether or not he felt Ms Bush deserved the threats, he suggested that "the way" makes her a target.

“No, what I’m saying is, is that when you’re out there talking the way she does.… She’s pretty radical. And maybe she should tone it down a little bit," he said.

Ms Omar called out Mr Nehl's comments on X/Twitter.

"The loud black woman trope is racist and tired. The Congressman should apologize and all members of Congress should condemn him," Ms Omar wrote. "No one in our government deserves to be threatened regardless how loud they advocate for their positions and blaming the victim of harassment and threats can’t be condoned."

Ms Bush also responded to Mr Nehl's comments, saying he was using the "kind of rhetoric that endangers Black lives."

"@RepTryoNehls just called my husband, a Black man and army veteran, a thug. And I'm the loud Black woman who needs to be silent in order to be safe from violence, or else?" she wrote on X/Twitter.

She demanded that he apologise for his comments.

Ms Bush confirmed on Thursday that she was under investigation by the Department of Justice for the security payments.

"Since before I was sworn into office, I have endured relentless threats to my physical safety and life," Ms Bush said during a presser outside the US Capitol. "As a rank-and-file member of Congress, I am not entitled to personal protection by the House and instead have used campaign funds as permissible to retain security services."

She said she is fully cooperating with the investigation.