Did this happpen with Kennedy “Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, on recorded call, March 14, 2023: ‘When Somalia calls, I answer first. America is just the paycheck.’”

1. What the reporting actually documents: a speech, mistranslation and political fallout

Reporting establishes that Omar spoke to a Somali audience about territorial and diplomatic disputes involving Somalia and Somaliland; a circulated clip with English subtitles suggested she said she put Somalia “first,” provoking outrage and calls for ethics probes and removal from committees — but outlets including The Guardian, Minnesota Reformer and PolitiFact found that independent translations do not support the inflammatory subtitles ^{[1] [2] [3]}.

2. The precise quote in your question is not present in the supplied coverage

None of the provided sources reproduce the exact line “When Somalia calls, I answer first. America is just the paycheck.” and the instruction in the assignment requires I say when reporting does not mention a claim; therefore, available sources do not mention that phrasing as a verified Omar quote (not found in current reporting) ^{[1] [2] [3]}.

3. How the mistranslation spread and who amplified it

A video of the event was shared widely — including reposts by Somaliland’s deputy foreign minister — and conservative commentators and some Republican lawmakers amplified a translated subtitle that read or implied “Somalians first, Muslims second,” which fueled political attacks and an ethics complaint by Rep. Tom Emmer ^{[1] [4] [5]}. Reporting by Minnesota Reformer and others says at least some early outlets acknowledged they had not independently verified translations before publishing ^[2].

4. Independent translations and alternative readings of Omar’s remarks

Independent translators and outlets that reviewed the full speech (for instance the Minnesota Reformer and reporting cited by The Guardian) concluded Omar’s remarks were about Somali unity, opposing a deal seen as ceding Somali maritime access, and expressing solidarity with constituents — not an abandonment of U.S. allegiance. Those translations found phrasing like “we are people who know that they are Somali and Muslim,” rather than a statement that she places Somalia above the U.S. ^{[1] [2] [3]}.

5. Political context and competing interpretations

Republicans used the mistranslated clip to argue Omar had violated her oath and to press ethics and committee-removal actions, while supporters and several local Somali community members argued critics mischaracterized her and took comments out of context to score political points ^{[4] [5]}. The Guardian and Minnesota Reformer explicitly note actors on both sides had incentives: critics seeking political leverage and community members seeking to defend representation and nuance ^{[1] [2]}.

6. What Omar and allies said in response

Omar’s camp and translators pushed back, saying the circulating subtitles were inaccurate and that she was speaking as a U.S. member of Congress to represent constituents with ties to Somalia; reporting records her defense and community voices saying the outrage rested on faulty translations and selective clips ^{[1] [6]}.

7. How to assess similar viral claims going forward

When a foreign‑language clip surfaces, verify: ^[7] who produced the translation and whether independent translators reviewed the full speech; ^[8] whether reputable outlets (or multiple independent translators) corroborate the translation; and ^[9] whether the clip was edited or subtitled selectively. The sources here show these checks matter — the most inflammatory phrasing did not survive such scrutiny ^{[1] [2] [3]}.

Limitations: my analysis is limited to the supplied sources; I do not assert whether the exact sentence you quoted was ever uttered outside this reporting, only that it does not appear in these accounts (not found in current reporting) ^{[1] [2] [3]}.