Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) told "'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" Wednesday night women of color are held to a double standard, as she opened up about becoming a "lightning rod" for many on the right and left.
What she's saying: "There are many members of our community, their identities are lightning rods," she said. "They're being used as political football — immigrants, refugees, women of color, people of color, minorities, Muslims. I happen to embody all of those identities, so it's easy for this to be kind of self-explanatory."
Details: Omar addressed criticism she'd received from President Trump and others for calling senior White House aide Stephen Miller a "white nationalist." Colbert said he'd also described Miller as a white nationalist, without criticism, but he believed he had more latitude than Omar because she's a Muslim woman of color. She noted a congressman had called him the name previously without incident.
On claims she used anti-Semitic stereotypes, Omar said the whole process this year had been one of learning and growth. That process involved apologizing for remarks she made on Israel, which prompted a House resolution condemning anti-Semitism that was widened to include other forms of bigoted speech
