House Majority Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina.
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House Majority Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina said in a television interview that he had a long talk with Omar and believes she is remorseful for having suggested that Israel's allies in U.S. politics were motivated by money rather than principle.
"I like her a whole lot," Clyburn told CNN. "I think she was very sincere in her apology, and I wish we would just go on and stop beating up on people when they make a mistake. All of us have misspoken at one time or another."
President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and leading House Republicans have called on Omar to resign from Congress or give up her seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Clyburn dismissed those suggestions.
"I think she's an incredible young lady who has a tremendous future in politics, and I'm going to be as supportive as I possibly can of her, and I wish we would go and put this behind us," he said.
In a pair of tweets on Sunday, Omar had cited Puff Daddy's 1997 paean to money - "It's All About the Benjamins" - to paint Israel's supporters in Congress as beholden to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a powerful lobbying group whose members contribute generously to lawmakers who share its perspective on the Middle East.
House Democratic leaders, including Clyburn, issued a statement Monday denouncing Omar's use of "anti-Semitic tropes and prejudicial accusations about Israel's supporters." They have argued that Omar's apology suffices while suggesting that if she makes another incendiary comment, she will face harsher punishment.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., left open the possibility of disciplinary action.
"Apologies are appropriate," Hoyer said. "But the real test is the actions going forward . . . We need to treat one another with respect and without language that would refer to any kind of interpretation of bigotry or prejudice or hate."
House Republicans forced a vote late Wednesday on a generic measure condemning anti-Semitism in all forms. The measure, which did not mention Omar, passed on a 424-0 vote.
Omar has been huddling with Jewish members of Congress to express her regret, according to several Democrats.
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