NJ congressman and Ocasio-Cortez bring The Onion headline to life
The Onion or real life?
This time it was sort of both.
On Tuesday, the satirical publication tweeted the following:
"82-Year-Old New Jersey Congressman Bill Pascrell Quietly Asks Ilhan Omar If He Can Be Part Of The Squad"
Pascrell, a Democrat representing North Jersey's 9th District, then tagged the rest of "The Squad" — as the progressive U.S. Reps. Omar, D-Mich.; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.; Rashida Tlaib, D-Mass.; and Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., have dubbed themselves — with the question: "how bout it?"
Ocasio-Cortez answered with an enthusiastic "you're in."
It was a moment of levity on a dramatic day in which the president of the United States was officially condemned by the House of Representatives for his "racist comments" about The Squad.
President Donald Trump on Sunday said that the four women should return to their countries because of their criticism of his administration. Three of the four congresswoman were born in the United States and all four are citizens. Because the women are minorities, Trump's comments were widely seen as a bigoted implication that people of color are not American.
On Tuesday, the House passed a resolution that "strongly condemns President Donald Trump's racist comments," which "have legitimized and increased fear and hatred of new Americans and people of color."
The resolution passed 240-187, with four Republicans — Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Fred Upton of Michigan, Will Hurd of Texas, Susan Brooks of Indiana — and Michigan's Justin Amash, who became an independent on the Fourth of July, joining the Democrats.
Many Republicans have come to Trump's defense, and the president himself said that he did not have "a racist bone in my body."
Pascrell has been in Congress since 1997. He previously was the mayor of Paterson and a state assemblyman.
Sergio Bichao is deputy digital editor at New Jersey 101.5. Send him news tips: Call 609-359-5348 or email sergio.bichao@townsquaremedia.com.