Rightwing critics have used an edited clip of the “some people did something” comment to falsely claim that Omar does not believe that September 11 was a terrorist attack, that she downplayed or demeaned the seriousness of the attack, and that she is un-American or not loyal to the United States.

Fox News and the New York Post, both owned by Rupert Murdoch, have devoted high-profile coverage to the misleading claims, including a graphic New York Post cover with her quote and an image of the World Trade Center towers in flames.