Jeffries retaliates against McCarthy’s criticism of House Democrat leadership on handling antisemitism.

House Democrats Face Criticism Over Antisemitism

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) fired back at House Speaker Kevin ​McCarthy (R-Calif.) for criticizing House Democrat leadership over ⁢their handling⁢ of antisemitism⁣ within their own⁤ conference.

In​ comments to The Epoch ⁣Times on July 19, Mr. McCarthy blasted the nine Democrats who the previous day voted against a‍ pro-Israel House resolution, which also condemned antisemitism: Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Delia Ramirez​ (D-Ill.), Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), Summer Lee (D-Pa.), Andre Carson (D-Ind.), Cori Bush (D-Mo.), and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.).

“Well, if you look at the nine Democrats there, they’ve got a real⁣ antisemitic‌ problem inside their conference,⁢ and it seems to be growing with their leadership doing nothing about it,” said Mr. McCarthy. “They allow them to continue to say the things they have—to equate the U.S. military to the Taliban, to say Israel is evil, to say only members’ relationship with Israel is ‘all about the Benjamins.’”

In June ‍2021, Ms. Omar equated the United States and Israel to the Taliban and Hamas, the latter of which is a U.S.-designated terrorist group.

“We must have the ‍same level of accountability and justice for all victims of crimes ​against⁢ humanity. We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas,‍ Israel, Afghanistan, and the ‍Taliban,” Ms. Omar posted on Twitter.

She subsequently sought to clarify ⁣her tweet.

“On Monday, I asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken about ongoing International Criminal Court investigations,” Ms. Omar said in a statement. “To be clear: ​the conversation was about accountability for specific incidents regarding those ICC cases, not a moral comparison between Hamas and the Taliban⁤ and the​ U.S. and⁣ Israel. I was in no way equating terrorist organizations with⁣ democratic ​countries with well-established judicial systems.”

In 2019, Ms. Omar ⁤posted in⁤ a now-deleted tweet that U.S.‍ lawmaker ‌support‍ for Israel is ⁣“all⁣ about the Benjamins, baby,” echoing the antisemitic notion that Israel pays lawmakers to support the Jewish state. She later apologized.

“I‌ mean, they⁣ continue to allow this behavior, antisemitic talk—go on and ignore it,” said ‌Mr. McCarthy. “But what’s even worse is they let them be the most influential head ⁤of a caucus they have in their entire conference. So​ it shows that the Democratic Conference will ignore antisemitism and allow it to grow in their own conference.”

When asked by The Epoch​ Times on July 20 ​about Mr. ‍McCarthy’s‌ comments, Mr.⁤ Jeffries did not hold ⁢back.

Won’t ‘Be‍ Lectured’

“We are not going ⁤to be lectured by extreme MAGA Republicans on antisemitism or racism, on bigotry, ​and on intolerance. Period. Full stop,” he said.

“Are you kidding⁤ me? Just look ⁤at their track record and the fact that they continue to stand behind the hater-in-chief,” Mr. Jeffries stated. “Someone​ who⁢ has unleashed, in terms ​of the former ⁣president, a wave of ​bigotry and hate crimes ⁣and an effort ⁤to turn back the clock that is extraordinary in scope.

“And yet they continue to bend the knee to ‍Donald Trump. When Donald Trump tells extreme mega ⁤Republicans in the House to jump,​ they say ‘how high?’⁣ Try to accommodate his fantasies. And so ⁣we’re not going to be lectured by extreme MAGA Republicans about intolerance.”

“We are‌ the party that has done as‌ much as we can to march toward a more perfect union to make sure that every single community⁣ in America feels welcome, inclusive of race and religion and ethnicity and region and‍ educational attainment,” he said.

“And ⁢so I think the‌ vote on the Israel resolution speaks for itself in terms of the House ⁢Democratic Caucus and its perspective on ⁤the special relationship that exists between the United States and Israel. A relationship that is anchored, as [Israeli] ⁢ President Herzog articulated so well yesterday, in our shared democratic values and our​ shared strategic interests.”

The resolution, introduced by⁤ Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas), states that Congress believes: “The​ state of‌ Israel is not a racist or apartheid state”‍ and that‍ “Congress rejects all forms of antisemitism and⁣ xenophobia,”‌ and “the United States will always be a staunch partner and supporter‍ of Israel.” It passed⁤ on July 18, ⁣412–9–1.

The ⁢resolution was put forth just days after Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of​ the ‌Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), called Israel a “racist state.”

“As ⁣somebody who’s been in the streets and participated in a lot of demonstrations, I want you to know that we have been fighting to make⁣ it clear ⁣that Israel ‌is‌ a racist state,” Ms. Jayapal told pro-Palestinian demonstrators ‌at⁢ the annual conference for the progressive ⁢organization.