Democratic House candidate invests in distillery that hosted pro-Hamas chef

A Democratic congressional candidate in New York invests in a distillery in Washington, D.C., that hosted an event with an anti-Israel chef who has sympathized with Hamas.

Republic Restoratives, a distillery that calls itself “women-owned, LGBTQ-led, and the largest crowdfunded distillery in U.S. history,” brought in chef Marcelle Afram, who recently called those who condemn Hamas accomplices to “colonial genocide,” for a gay pride event last June, a Facebook post shows. Josh Riley, a House hopeful running in New York’s 19th Congressional District against Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-NY), owns up to $15,000 in non-publicly traded shares in that same distillery, according to Riley’s financial disclosure, which was reported by the Washington Free Beacon.

“D.C. Insider Josh Riley’s fake blue-collar resume keeps getting holes poked in it,” Savannah Viar, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, told the Washington Examiner. She claimed Riley is “profiting off of Hamas sympathizers.”

Afram, a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, wrote in an Instagram post in November of last year that “If the first thing that’s still coming out of your mouth is, ‘But, Hamas…,’ you are an accomplice, resorting to justifying genocide, and history will remember you as such.”

Republic Restoratives, which fashions itself as a left-wing distillery, sells spirits such as “Dissent Gin” inspired by the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and “Rodham Rye” honoring Hillary Clinton. The distillery also pays homage to Vice President Kamala Harris with a “Madam” whiskey, according to its website.

Riley disclosed his stake in the distillery in his August 2023 financial disclosure report with the House clerk. The Democrat unsuccessfully ran for office in 2022 against Molinaro in the same district, which the nonpartisan Cook Political Report elections tracker rates as a toss up.

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Riley’s campaign did not reply to a request for comment. He notably was paid $30,000 in 2023 by a little-known group shelling out cash to repeat congressional candidates, the Washington Examiner reported, sparking ethical and legal concerns from campaign finance experts.

Republic Restoratives and Afram did not reply to requests for comment.