House Democrats successful in tabling Mace's resolution to censure Omar
Four House Republicans joined Democrats to tank GOP Rep. Nancy Mace’s effort to censure and remove Rep. Ilhan Omar from committee assignments over comments she made following the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The final tally was 214-213 with two Republicans and three Democrats not voting. The GOP defections were Reps. Mike Flood of Nebraska, Jeff Hurd of Colorado, Tom McClintock of California and Cory Mills of Florida.
With the defeat of the Omar censure resolution, Democrats will now drop their effort to censure Mills over several accusations that he has denied.
Mace claimed in a statement that "Ilhan Omar has shown us exactly who she is: someone who defends political violence and refuses to condemn the loss of innocent lives when it doesn't suit her agenda, even the cold-blooded assassination of Charlie Kirk."
During an interview on a Zeteo town hall with Mehdi Hasan the day after the assassination of the prominent conservative activist, Omar commented that Kirk's killing was "really mortifying," adding, "You know, all I could think about was his wife, his children, that image is going to live forever."
Omar, however, mentioned Kirk’s previous takes that she disagreed with, stating, “Yeah, there is nothing more effed up, you know, like then, then to completely pretend that you know, his words and actions have not been recorded and in existence for for the last decade or so.”
Omar hit back at Mace on X, posting that the South Carolina representative is trying to censure her over comments she never said to benefit her own political ambitions.
"Fun fact: Nancy Mace is trying to censure me over comments I never said," Omar wrote on X, adding, "Her res does not contain a single quote from me because she couldn't find any."
"Unlike her, I have routinely condemned political violence, no matter the political ideology. This is all an attempt to push a false story so she can fundraise and boost her run for Governor," Omar concluded.
Censuring Omar would have stripped her of all committee assignments, removing her from the Committee on Education and Workforce, and the Committee on the Budget.
The Minnesota representative was previously removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee in February 2023 after she was accused of making antisemitic comments that she later apologized for.
After Mace announced her resolution, Texas Progressive Rep. Greg Casar gave notice of intent to offer a separate privileged resolution to censure Florida GOP Rep. Cory Mills over accusations that he assaulted his girlfriend at his Washington, D.C., apartment, threatened an ex-girlfriend, misrepresented events around the Bronze Star he was awarded in the Army, made false financial disclosures, and campaign finance violations.
In a response previously reported by ABC News, Mills said the assault allegations were “false and misrepresent the nature of my interactions.”
Mills has denied the other allegations and said that the assault charge has been dropped by D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department.
“I would like to thank the Metro Police Department for their diligent investigation into false and misleading accusations made against me by the media, ensuring that both truth and justice prevailed,” Mills said in a statement to The Hill.
ABC News has reached out to the MPD for confirmation but has not gotten a response.
Speaker Mike Johnson has not weighed in on either resolution. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said before the vote on Wednesday that Mace's rhetoric has made Omar a target.
"Nancy Mace is a complete and total disgrace. Her racist, unhinged and xenophobic comments about Congresswoman Ilhan Omar are beneath the dignity of the Congress. Is this what civility looks like in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives?" Jeffries said in a statement. "We live in an era of intense political violence as we have seen with the recent assassinations of [Minnesota] Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. Nancy Mace’s crazed rhetoric has put a target on the back of Rep. Omar. Mace must cease and desist her inciteful behavior immediately."
A censure of a lawmaker is a formal reprimand of their actions, statements or combination of the two. It requires a simple majority for passage.
-ABC News' Lauren Peller contributed to this report.
