During the Washington Post’s “The 2020 Candidates” interview on Monday, Sen. Amy Klobuchar declined to say if she would invite Rep. Ilhan Omar to speak at the Democratic National Convention if chosen as the nominee. The only person Klobuchar confirmed she would invite is former President Barack Obama.
“If you were the Democratic presidential nominee, would you invite Congresswoman Omar to speak at the Democratic national convention?” Washington Post Reporter Robert Costa asked.
“Oh, I think you should have many voices at the convention,” Klobuchar said. “I think that’ll be something our party will decide. I’m not gonna extend invitations to people, if only I’ll have that power then I’ll make that decision. I wouldn’t commit to anyone speaking right now at the Democratic Convention. Well, except Barack Obama.”
Klobuchar’s strategy in the battle for the White House is establishing herself as a “proven progressive,” she stated during the hour long interview. Part of that platform includes fiercely defending the four freshmen congresswomen including Omar, also known “The Squad,” from President Trump.
[Related Post: Here’s Where Ilhan Omar And Rashida Tlaib Should Go When They Visit Israel]
“He has chosen to go after four women,” Klobuchar said. “He has chosen to tell them they should ‘go home,’ basically, which is a racist code word, in my mind.”
Since taking office, Omar has repeatedly made anti-semitic comments, refused to denounce Islamic terrorism, and refused to say who she thinks is responsible for the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
When asked by Costa whether the Democratic Party is moving too far Left, Klobuchar said her party hosts a plurality of opinions, unlike the Trump-dominated Republicans. In 2018, the party elected a high number of women and minorities to Congress.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen.@AmyKlobuchar said she wants to reduce the price of pharmaceuticals in America, adding “Pharma thinks they own Washington…they don’t own me.” https://t.co/5tFSm0PsKi #postlive pic.twitter.com/J3SkGOJcof
— Washington Post Live (@PostLive) July 22, 2019
Though she declined to say she would welcome Omar to speak at her wished-for convention, Klobuchar said she views the diversity of opinions within the Democratic party, no matter how radical, as an admirable strength.
