OPINION:
Rep. Ilhan Omar, if indeed that is her name, replied to a question about marrying her brother that was asked by MS NOW host Chris Hayes — who went out of his way, by the way, to coddle and sugarcoat and cover for his guest. Her answer: “Not to my knowledge.”
There’s a mic drop moment if ever there was one.
Can you imagine if President Trump, asked about colluding with Russia, replied, “Not to my knowledge” — can you imagine the uproar from the Democrats?
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Most people would agree that some questions are unequivocally yes or no questions — and moreover, that some queries are so crucially important, so life or death, and carry such a huge potential to shift an entire narrative or agenda, that there’s no room for dickering about with the reply. Clarity of response is too important.
Think of a court of law, for instance; think of a hearing where the defendant is asked to plead guilt or innocence.
Think of a criminal investigation, for example; think of a line of questioning from police.
Think of any situation involving an accuser for a crime or misdemeanor or offense that you didn’t commit — whether the situation involves a parent asking a child about a missing cookie or a business owner asking a shopper about an alleged theft or a Democrat-controlled Congress and national press asking a MAGA president about a relationship with a Russian leader. Innocents don’t address accusations by saying, “Not to my knowledge.”
And Omar has faced accusations for years about her relationship with her brother, and whether they married so he could enter this country. It’s not as if the question takes her off guard at this point.
It’s also not as if marrying a brother requires deep thought and investigation and analysis. It’s yes or no. It’s yay or nay. It’s not a question that most people would need to ponder or wonder.
Her response is most illuminating.
Combined with the federal court filing that identified her as “Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, a/k/a Ilhan Abdullahi Omar,” and the so-called accounting mistakes on her recent financial disclosures, and the questions surrounding her father, Nur Omar Mohamed, about potential misrepresentations of immigration documents, and the matter of the whole Minnesota day care fraud what Omar knew and when — well then, her answer to MS NOW’s coddling Hayes becomes all the more interesting. And curious. And enlightening.
The “not to my knowledge” response takes on a whole Cover-Your-You-Know-What character.
It’s as if Omar knows her carefully crafted facade is falling and she’s about to be busted by the feds and she’s been advised by an attorney to be careful what words she chooses when speaking in public.
Press: “President Trump, did you collude with Russia to steal the election?”
Scenario One, Trump: “No” — and that answer never changed, not even after years of investigations.
Scenario Two, Trump: “Not to my knowledge.”
See the difference?
Omar’s own words cannot be dismissed, especially when her background includes baggage that has never been properly addressed or vetted. If indeed that is her name.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley. Listen to her podcast “Bold and Blunt” by clicking HERE. And never miss her column; subscribe to her newsletter and podcast by clicking HERE. Her latest book, “God-Given Or Bust: Defeating Marxism and Saving America With Biblical Truths,” is available by clicking HERE.
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