Kentucky Rep. Andy Barr is jumping into the middle of a nasty fight in Washington by demanding U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez apologize to a war-veteran colleague before she takes him up on his offer to visit an underground coal mine.

Barr, a Republican, told the outspoken Democratic lawmaker that her criticisms directed at U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, a former Navy SEAL, demonstrate a lack of civility.

"I urge you to apologize to our colleague prior to coming to visit Kentucky," Barr said in a Friday letter provided to the Courier Journal.

Corbin Trent, a spokesman for Ocasio-Cortez, said their office has received the correspondence.

"Luckily, Kentucky has open borders," Trent told the Courier Journal. "If we decided to go to Kentucky to visit with coal miners, which we certainly hope to, and talk about the opportunities that can be brought to the rural South ... and to coal-mine country and Appalachia, that can be brought by transitioning to renewable energy and the Green New Deal, we'll be excited to do so."

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Ocasio-Cortez, of New York, is feuding with Crenshaw after he slammed U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, for her characterization of the attacks on 9/11.

In a March speech before the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Omar talked about how terrorism has spawned a rise in anti-Islamic activity.

"Far too long we have lived with the discomfort of being a second-class citizen and frankly, I'm tired of it, and every single Muslim in this country should be tired of it," she said. "CAIR was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties."

Crenshaw took to social media where he decried Omar's comments.

“First member of Congress to ever describe terrorists who killed thousands of Americans on 9/11 as ‘some people who did something,’" he tweeted. "Unbelievable."

Ocasio-Cortez then came to the defense of Omar, who is an ally, and called out Crenshaw for not co-sponsoring a measure aimed at aiding 9/11 victims and their families.

“In 2018, right-wing extremists were behind almost all U.S. domestic terrorist killings," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. "Why don’t you go do something about that?"

Barr jumped into this, along with other conservative lawmakers, by defending Crenshaw's war record. He pointed out in his letter to Ocasio-Cortez that Crenshaw served three tours in Afghanistan.

"(N)ot only has Congressman Crenshaw 'done something' to combat terrorism, he was wounded by an improvised explosive device while serving — causing him to lose his right eye," Barr said.

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Trent, Ocasio-Cortez's spokesman, said Friday that Barr and other GOP lawmakers should be ashamed for taking Omar's comments out of context.

"Rep. Omar was not being dismissive of the 9/11 attacks," Trent said. "There's no question about that. They've latched onto that for political gain to continue fanning the flames of hate and Islamophobia. And I find that to be disgusting and frankly, un-American."

Asked if Barr is rescinding his invitation, spokeswoman Jodi Whitaker told the Courier Journal that he is just suggesting that she apologize before planning her trip.

Barr extended the invite to Ocasio-Cortez during a hearing this month about the ambitious Green New Deal. The Kentucky Republican said that many coal miners are out of work and that she should meet the men and women who work to power the country.

"I'd be happy to," Ocasio-Cortez said. "In fact, when I first started my campaign, the first place I went was Kentucky."

Since then, however, there's been no word about when or if she will be visiting the Bluegrass State. A Barr spokeswoman said they haven't received a reply as of this week.

Barr said in his letter that his offer to Ocasio-Cortez to visit Kentucky was made in "good faith" but that her comments toward Crenshaw should be addressed.

"I have always thought regardless of political party, beliefs or ideology, that we need to treat all of our colleagues with respect and dignity," he said. "Such courtesies are critical to the function and decorum of the House."

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Trent said Barr, who campaigned with President Donald Trump last fall, can't lecture about civility amid increasing concerns about hate and violence toward racial and religious minorities.

"We've got one member of Congress fanning the flames of hate against another member and then (Barr) coming to defend their positions," Trent said. "I think Rep. Crenshaw, the New York Post, right-wing media, other members of Congress and this president — we've seen the flames of hate fanned continuously over the past several years here."

Trent said Crenshaw was deliberately targeting Omar, in part, because she is one of the first Muslim women to serve in Congress.

Ocasio-Cortez's office also pointed to Thursday's cover of the New York Post, which has ignited a barrage of criticism for featuring an image of the World Trade Center burning in the Sept. 11 terrorist attack with Omar's quote, as an example.

Reporter Phillip M. Bailey can be reached at 502-582-4475 or pbailey@courierjournal.com. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/philb.