New York, NY, February 11, 2019 … The ADL (Anti-Defamation League) today called on the leadership of the House of Representatives to take action in response to Rep. Ilhan Omar’s statements yesterday suggesting that Jewish influence and money was the reason for strong bipartisan support for Israel.

On Sunday night, Rep. Omar tweeted, “it’s all about the Benjamins baby” in response to a tweet from journalist Glenn Greenwald saying that “it’s stunning how much time U.S. political leaders spend defending a foreign nation,” referring to Israel (“Benjamins” is slang for 100-dollar bills). Later, when asked via Twitter by another journalist who she thought was paying American politicians to be pro-Israel, Rep. Omar responded, “AIPAC.”

“As Americans and Jews, we expect our politicians to condemn bigotry, not to fuel it. Words matter. At a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise in the U.S. and abroad, Rep. Omar is promoting the ugly, anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that Jews have an outsized influence over politics. The notion that wealthy Jews are controlling the government is a longstanding anti-Semitic trope and one of the pillars of modern anti-Semitism, a retread of ideas spread by bigots from David Duke to Louis Farrakhan. As the people’s House, the House of Representatives must not tolerate any bigotry against any community in our nation. We call on the House leadership to take immediate action, so that the message is clear: anti-Semitism will not be tolerated,” said Jonathan A. Greenblatt, CEO and National Director of ADL.

“Unfortunately, making insensitive statements toward the Jewish community is not new for Rep. Omar. These tweets are part of a disturbing pattern of behavior that must end. The Congresswoman needs to understand that these comments promote dangerous stereotypes and are hurtful to her Jewish constituents and Jewish-Americans throughout the country,” Greenblatt continued.

Strong bipartisan support for Israel is not a result of money or lobbying. Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East and a strong American ally in a strategically important region. AIPAC is an established, bipartisan organization comprised of countless Americans both Jewish and non-Jewish, who proudly support a strong U.S.-Israel relationship. Grassroots advocacy is a critical part of our robust democracy – and AIPAC has every right to work effectively with members of Congress to support the U.S.-Israel relationship.

Now, take a lo0k at what they wrote when they were condemning Iowa Rep Steve King, who to my knowledge has never had a bad word to say about Jews or Israel in his life.

January 14, 2019

Dear Speaker Pelosi and Leader McCarthy,

Thank you for your condemnation of Representative Steve King’s comments regarding white nationalism and white supremacy. I write to raise up a request that you come together to censure Rep. King and strip from him his ranking membership.

I originally wrote to you, Leader McCarthy, and then-Speaker Ryan on October 30, 2018 to urge you to censure Rep. King and strip him of his chairmanship in light of an extraordinarily disturbing series of involvements and statements that were anti-Semitic and offensive not just to the Jewish community, but to all Americans. Rep. King doubled down on this behavior by questioning why the terms white supremacist and white nationalist are offensive. His protestations after the fact that he is not bigoted do not align with years and years of statements and actions on the part of the Congressman.

ADL goes on to condemn Steve King for his associations with politicians in Europe…but there will be NO condemnation of Democrats for their collusion with their anti-Semite colleague. ZERO. ZILTCH. Only Republicans are guilty by association.

I originally wrote after it was revealed that Rep. King met in Austria with members of the Freedom Party, a far-right political party founded by a former Nazi SS officer, and sat for an interview with Unzensuriert, a Freedom Party-aligned publication. Despite claims by Rep. King and Freedom Party (FPO) leaders, the Freedom Party remains riddled with anti-Semitism and Holocaust trivialization. As such, the Jewish community of Austria boycotts the party in its entirety. Since FPO joined the government coalition in December 2017, the Jewish community of Austria has noted 19 anti-Semitic or neo-Nazi incidents with party officials.

It was particularly outrageous that Rep. King met with the FPO while on a Holocaust education trip sponsored by “From the Depths,” an international non-profit group. When questioned about his trip to Poland, Rep. King denigrated the Jewish history of the Holocaust, saying he sought out the “Polish perspective” on the Holocaust and pointed to his takeaway of the “Polish perspective” that they “don’t know” whether Nazi or Soviet occupation of their country was worse.

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We strongly urge you to demonstrate your revulsion with Rep. King’s actions by working together to censure him and strip him of his subcommittee ranking membership and otherwise discipline him. By doing so, you will make clear that his actions were deeply offensive, wrong, and that the U.S. House of Representatives will not tolerate anti-Semitism or bigotry in any form.

Sincerely,

Jonathan A. Greenblatt
CEO and National Director
Anti-Defamation League

Oddly, The ADL doesn’t need any stripping of committee assignments for Omar in order to make a clear statement against bigotry in any form.