(FILES) In this file photo taken on November 30, 2018 representative-elect Ilhan Omar, Democrat of Minnesota, attends a press conference in the House Visitors Center at the US Capitol in Washington, DC. – US lawmakers will vote on March 7, 2019, on a measure that condemns anti-Semitism and other forms of hate, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said, amid a backlash over controversial comments by Omar. Omar, a former Somali refugee, was assailed by Democrats and Republicans alike for suggesting Friday that supporters of Israel are urging lawmakers to have “allegiance to a foreign country.” (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP)MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

Source: The Washington Post

After a week of brutal infighting over how to best respond to allegations of anti-Semitism, Democrats on Thursday presented a compromise that seemed unlikely to offend anyone: a resolution condemning bigotry and “hateful expressions of intolerance.”

Then, in an unexpected turn of events, 23 Republicans decided to vote against it.

Doing so put them in an awkward position: By opposing a resolution that denounced hate and bigotry, they could plausibly be seen as supporting those things. In public statements and floor speeches, most of the dissenters clarified that they were strongly opposed to hatred and discrimination but simply couldn’t get behind the measure. While their explanations varied, many criticized Democrats for not doing more to rebuke Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), whose remarks criticizing supporters of Israel were seen by some as anti-Semitic, sparking the uproar that prompted the crafting of the resolution.

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