A meme called four Democrats ‘The Jihad Squad.’ A state GOP group is sorry for sharing it.

NOTE:  We have chosen not to include the article’s tweet with accompanying graphic.

Washington Post logoMinnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar’s face is contorted into an attitude-filled pout and she appears to be toting a large gun. Below her are the doctored images of three fellow Democratic congresswomen: Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts.

According to the movie poster-style picture that was recently shared to an official Facebook page for Republican leaders in Illinois, the four minority lawmakers are the stars of “The Jihad Squad.”

The meme, which reportedly first appeared Friday on the Facebook page of the Illinois Republican County Chairmen’s Association, has since drawn widespread backlash from top state leaders in both parties. On Sunday evening, the association’s president, Mark Shaw, apologized and announced that the post had been taken down. It is unclear if the poster was created by the organization, but its logo was featured on the image.

View the complete July 22 article by Allyson Chiu on The Washington Post website here.