Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign “has a problem” in Michigan, CNN’s Jake Tapper reported Friday, following an Arab American group refusing to endorse either Harris or former President Donald Trump.
The Arab American PAC announced this week they would not make an endorsement in the race. The Arab American News, Tapper noted, will also not be endorsing either candidate. One Osama Siblani is the head of the PAC and the publisher of The Arab American News.
Among those whom Siblani’s group did endorse this year were both Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D) and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D) of Michigan.
“His views go beyond just anger at the White House for supporting Netanyahu and supporting Israel. They go beyond the need to have a cease fire to stop the tragic Palestinian and Lebanese civilian deaths. They go beyond even the push for an arms embargo against Israel. Osama Siblani defends groups that target civilians, groups that the US government has designated terrorist groups since 1997,” Tapper reported.
He highlighted some of Siblani’s past statements, which have included dismissing calling Hamas and Hezbollah “terrorists” as “propaganda.”
In another clip, Siblani refers to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, in which more than 1,000 were killed and hundreds were kidnapped, as “fighting back” against occupation.
“What do you expect people to do? Stay under occupation. What are they supposed to do? They’re supposed to fight back. It is a legitimate right under the international law. You have the right to fight your occupier,” Siblani said in the clip.
“That is how Mr. Siblani characterizes 1200 people in Israel murdered, including babies, including kids, including the disabled, including the elderly, including 46 Americans. That’s how he describes 250 kidnapped individuals, including around 20 Americans, seven of whom are still being held in Gaza. To Mr. Siblani Siblani, this was Hamas’s legitimate right,” Tapper said.
At a rally in Dearborn, Michigan, Siblani also said “greetings” to the “resistance,” referring to Hamas and praised the then-leader of Hamas. He also shouted about Jewish people in Israel being taken “back to Poland.”
“That’s a trope that suggests falsely that no Jews have any ancestral ties to Israel. All of them are from Europe. None of them are from that area or any other part of the world,” Tapper said.
The CNN anchor argued the non-endorsement is “widely perceived” as favorable to Trump as the Harris campaign has more to lose with Arab American voters, especially in Michigan, the state with the highest population of Arab Americans. As Tapper noted on Friday, more than 100,000 voted “uncommitted” in the Democratic state primary — while President Joe Biden was still running — out of protest for the United States’ support of Israel amid their strikes on Gaza, which have led to tens of thousands of civilian deaths, according to their health ministry.
Tapper reported:
“Now, in addition to making his announcement, refusing to endorse a candidate for president, which is widely perceived as helpful to Donald Trump, Mr. Siblani says that the group is going to send letters explaining their decision to about 75,000 homes in Michigan this week. 75,000 homes in Michigan is a lot. In 2020, Biden won Michigan by just over 154,000 votes. In 2016, Trump beat Hillary Clinton there by 10,704 votes. So every single vote in Michigan is going to matter. Obviously, the Harris campaign has a problem in Michigan. Harris went to Michigan to try to meet with Arab-American leaders in recent weeks to talk about her plans. But it might be hard, quite honestly, to convince anyone like Mr. Siblani, who thinks that October 7th was justified. And who praises terrorist groups that regularly chant Death to America and target civilians that the U.S. considers to be terrorists. But it is surely interesting that this man who expressed his support for Hamas and Hezbollah is pushing moves and voters that could end up helping this man.”
Tapper then cut to a video of Trump calling for an end to of Muslims coming into the United States “until we can figure out what the hell is going on.”
“Politics makes strange bedfellows indeed,” Tapper said.
Watch above via CNN.
Have a tip for us? tips@mediaite.com
Local News
