patrick.net

Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar was one of just two Democrats to vote 'present' on a resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Turks a century ago.

Omar, who in the past has said the U.S. was 'founded on genocide,' voted present on a measure that passed the House Tuesday by a vote of 405 to 11. Democratic leadership called up the bill following Turkey's invasion of Syria. Sensitivity toward Turkey's strong opposition to the legislation has kept it at bay in the past.

The invasion angered members of both parties who are seeking protections for ethnic Kurds who fought alongside U.S. troops in the battle against ISIS.

The Democratic-controlled House voted 405-11 in favor of the resolution, which asserts that it is U.S. policy to commemorate as genocide the killing of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923.