Trump campaign aide tweets 'fake' video to assail Omar
Muslim congresswoman responds, saying attacks on her from Trump allies are 'getting desperate and pathetic'
A senior aide to U.S. President Donald Trump's presidential campaign used a "fake" video to attack Muslim congresswoman Ilhan Omar, according to a recent report.
"650 Rockets being fired into Israel from Gaza in an attempt to overwhelm Israels Iron Dome: 173 intercepts, 4 people killed, and 28 wounded. What is @IlhanMN response to this violence? Will she condemn it?" Katrina Pierson wrote in a Twitter post accompanied by a video of multiple ground-to-ground rocket launchers unleashing salvos at an unknown target.
But the video posted Sunday is not from Gaza, nor is it from this year.
It is from Ukraine during hostilities in 2015, according to the Mediaite news website that called the video "fake."
Multiple people pointed out the error on Twitter, but Pierson has not removed the post.
In response to criticism for her use of the video, Pierson acknowledged she is not on the ground in Gaza or Israel, falsely claiming the video was used as a gif, and adding she posted it "to underscore what hundreds of rockets would look like to Americans."
"It’s not tagged nor did I say 'This is' so let’s get back to Omar’s response. Anyone have it?" she asked, apparently rhetorically.
Omar did respond, saying in a Twitter post: "Oh my, for people who are constantly complaining about fake news, they certainly have an affinity for it!"
"The trump hacks vilification ploy is getting desperate and pathetic 🤦🏽♀️," she said.
Commenting on hostilities in Gaza and Israel, Omar questioned "How many more protesters must be shot, rockets must be fired, and little kids must be killed until the endless cycle of violence ends?"
"The status quo of occupation and humanitarian crisis in Gaza is unsustainable. Only real justice can bring about security and lasting peace," she said.
The death toll from Israel’s two-day military offensive on Hamas-run Gaza Strip rose to 27 Monday after two more bodies were pulled from the rubble, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Israeli media reported four Israelis killed during the two-day exchange and 130 others injured.
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