Congresswoman Omar broke rank and criticized Israel, much to the dismay of AIPAC’s favored House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Last week, the US House of Representatives passed a resolution to condemn “anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, racism and other forms of bigotry” in an effort to tamp down the uproar over freshman Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s criticism of Israel. This move to placate the Israeli Lobby in the US stemmed from an incident in February when Rep. Omar had responded to a tweet posted by journalist Glenn Greenwald about how House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy threatened to punish Omar for daring to criticize Israel, to which Omar replied, “It’s all about the Benjamins baby,” an ode to a line about $100 bills from a P-Diddy track. Immediately after that, the Israel Lobby’s plunge protection team sprung into action, marshaling its national network and resources in order to wage a wide-ranging defamation campaign against Omar claiming that her political criticism of AIPAC and the wider Lobby’s well-documented financial and political influence over the House, Senate and the White House – somehow amounts to spreading harmful ‘antisemitic’ stereotypes of Jews.
Running DC foreign policy: The American Israeli Political Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
It was only a matter of time then that The Lobby would be pressuring key members of the Democratic leadership and party apparatchiks in Minnesota, to try and oust Ilhan Omar in the next Democratic primary in her district in 2020. The Hill reports:
“There’s definitely some buzz going around about it, but it’s more a buzz of is anyone talking about finding someone to run against her than it is anyone saying they’re going to run against her or contemplate it. There’s definitely talk about people wanting someone to run against her,” said State Sen. Ron Latz (D), who represents part of Omar’s district.
Possible DNC approved candidates drafted in to take down Omar could include Minnesota State Senator, Bobby Joe Champion, and Minneapolis City Councilwoman, Andrea Jenkins, a transgender African-American woman – the first elected to public office in the US. However, Jenkins has now stated on record that she’s not interested in taking Omar’s Congressional seat, but rather, would back Omar’s reelection bid.
“Support is really strong for Congresswoman Omar, but certainly there is some acrimony. I think people feel like she’s being unfairly targeted,” said Jenkins.
Critics of The Lobby and those members of Congress under its influence have argued that it is fundamentally wrong to conflate legitimate criticism of Israel and its policies – with all supposed bigotry or racism against all Jews. In a recent event in early March held at the Washington DC bookstore Busboys & Poets, Rep. Omar clarified her position on the controversy, as well as addressing the issue of “dual loyalty”:
“I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country. I want to ask why is it OK for me to talk about the influence of the NRA (National Rifle Association), of fossil fuel industries or Big Pharma, and not talk about a powerful lobbying group that is influencing policies?”
Watch the full segment from this panel discussion here:
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If the Democrats do run a primary candidate (a candidate approved by AIPAC and the Israeli Lobby) against Omar, then it would not be the first time where The Lobby has dictated electoral candidates to political parties in the US.
Moreover, a recent study of financial disclosures and lobbying data clearly illustrated just how the pro-Israel lobby spends its millions in order to buy compliant US politicians in order to heavily influence US foreign policy.
SEE ALSO: Is It Love or The Lobby? Explaining America’s Special Relationship with Israel
READ MORE AIPAC NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire AIPAC Files
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