Watch Ilhan Omar grill Venezuela envoy Elliott Abrams about U.S. intervention in Latin America

Ilhan Omar.
(Image credit: Screenshot/Mediaite)

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) presented Venezuela envoy Elliott Abrams with some tense questions during a hearing on America's military role in Venezuela Wednesday, as the crisis in the country continues to build.

During the exchange, Omar focused heavily on the historical influence of U.S. intervention in the region.

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The congresswoman then questioned whether Abrams still believed that U.S. intervention in El Salvador was a success, despite war crimes committed under U.S watch, and went onto ask if he would similarly support factions engaging "in war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide" in Venezuela, if he believed those factions were upholding U.S. interests. "The American people want to know that any time we engage a country that we think about what our actions could be and how we believe our values are being furthered," Omar said.

Abrams declined to respond to several of Omar's inquiries, calling one "a ridiculous question" and "personal attack." Watch the full exchange below, via ABC News. Tim O'Donnell

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.