Ilhan Omar Rebukes White House Official Over Minnesota School Shooter's Transgender Identity

Rep. Ilhan Omar criticized White House official Sebastian Gorka for emphasizing the transgender identity of Robin Westman, the gunman in the Minneapolis Catholic school shooting, arguing that this focus deflects from the reality of the tragedy and calling for assault weapons bans and mental health resources instead. Gorka, serving as President Trump's deputy assistant and senior director for counterterrorism, labeled the shooting as terrorism driven by ideological motives, noting Westman's antisemitic manifesto and the phrase "kill Donald Trump" on his gun magazine. He highlighted a pattern of mass shootings involving transgender or gender-confused individuals, citing at least seven such incidents in recent years, including shootings in Nashville and Colorado Springs. Omar condemned Gorka's remarks as an inappropriate moment to point fingers, emphasizing the loss of innocent lives and dismissing the relevance of the shooter's gender identity. Omar’s stance sparked backlash from conservative commentators online who accused her of ignoring the shooter's mental stability and the significance of his transgender identity. The debate underscores tensions over how to frame the motivations behind mass shootings and the intersection of identity, ideology, and gun violence in the U.S.