Lauren Boebert Claims Ilhan Omar Is Trying To 'Play the Victim' in Anti-Muslim Row

Rep. Lauren Boebert believes Congresswoman Ilhan Omar took advantage of the controversy surrounding the Colorado Republican's Islamophobic remarks to "shed some tears and play the victim" in an effort to secure fundraising.

Speaking to Real America's Voice at Turning Point USA's "AmericaFest" conference, Boebert appeared unapologetic for her infamous "elevator story," in which she implied Omar—a Minnesota Democrat and practicing Muslim—could have been carrying a suicide bomb in the Capitol.

"I don't have a victim mentality, I very much have a victor mentality," Boebert said in her interview. "And I guess not everyone has that."

"Ilhan Omar, I would imagine if I were in that same situation as she was, I would've turned and said, 'It's fine, Lauren Boebert doesn't have her AK-47,'" she continued.

"But she needed more fundraising for this quarter, this quarter was a little slow for her, so let's go on TV, shed some tears, and play the victim."

Boebert's comments came weeks after Omar held a press briefing, during which she played a threatening voicemail she had received following her Colorado colleague's viral remarks.

The unidentified man called Omar a "sand n***er bitch" and a "jihadist," adding that there were "plenty that will love the opportunity to take you off the face of the f***ing earth."

"We know what you are, you're a f***ing traitor," the caller said. "You will not live much longer bitch, I can almost guarantee you that."

In the controversial pair of speeches that went viral, Boebert gave crowds of supporters differing accounts of statements she claimed to have made while sharing a Capitol elevator with Omar.

In the first video, Boebert said she uttered, "Well, she doesn't have a backpack, we should be fine."

In the other, she claimed to have said, "Well, lookey there, it's the Jihad Squad."

"I do have to say, she doesn't have a backpack, she wasn't dropping it and running, so we're good," Boebert said.

Omar said Boebert's story was fabricated and indicative of the Colorado representative's "bigotry." Boebert tweeted an apology "to anyone in the Muslim community I offended with my comment about Rep. Omar."

A subsequent call between both congresswomen ended in Boebert apparently refusing to apologize to Omar and doubling down on her remarks.

During her interview at "AmericaFest," Boebert said she didn't want "anyone attacked for their faith and their religious beliefs," but did not relent on hostilities towards her Muslim colleague.

"I don't want all Muslims to think if they have a backpack, I think that they have something dangerous," she said.

"But also, we have Ilhan Omar, who very outwardly supports terrorists and hates Israel, hates our best and greatest ally, and hates our country."

Following Boebert's remarks, the House passed an anti-Islamophobia bill that seeks to appoint a new special envoy within the State Department who would examine domestic and international instances of Islamophobia. Boebert said she voted against the bill, calling it "a waste of the taxpayers' time and money."

"It's not just a resolution condemning something, it creates a new department to combat Islamophobia," she said. "A phobia, really? We're gonna combat fears?"

The Republican congresswoman said she would have possibly supported the bill "if it would've defined what Islamophobia is."

"Like, for instance, if the bill said, 'Islamophobia is not condemning someone for marrying their brother to commit immigration fraud to come into our country,'" Boebert continued, rehashing a conspiracy theory widely circulated among the GOP to attack Omar.

"Maybe I would've had a little more inclination to vote yes."