(The Center Square) – An Illinois congressman and a Jewish nonprofit group share their concerns about Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris' absence during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress last month.
Darin LaHood, who serves on the House Intelligence Committee, said he thinks it was disrespectful and un-American for his colleagues and Harris to not be in attendance for the address. LaHood mentioned that Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray and 100 of 212 House Democrats didn’t show up.
Illinois U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Springfield, also didn’t attend Netanyahu's address.
"I think as Americans and as elected officials, when we have our number one ally in the Middle East and the only democracy, we should put America and what our country stands for above partisanship and clearly the Democrats didn’t do that,” said LaHood, R-Peoria.
LaHood couldn’t confirm reports that Harris intends to get rid of key Biden advisers and staff, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, if she’s elected in November.
“I have no doubt that if she were to become president that she’s going to abandon any of those advisers that at least exercise some form of common sense under the Biden administration, whether that’s support Israel or looking out for law enforcement. I worry about that and I think the country should be worried,” said LaHood.
Netanyahu expressed gratitude to Biden "for his heartfelt support for Israel." Harris met with Netanyahu after his address to Congress.
LaHood, who attended Netanyahu’s address, said Israel is at war with terrorists and said he was proud to show support for Israel and Netanyahu’s efforts to fight a “barbaric-terrorist organization.”
A nonpartisan, Jewish nonprofit organization also has concerns about Harris’ decision to not select a Jewish vice presidential candidate.
Potential Harris’ vice presidential picks included Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, both are Jewish.
Stop Anti Semitism Executive Director Liora Rez said it was shocking to see Harris pick Tim Walz as running mate and not Shapiro.
“A lot of people were shocked when she did not pick Josh Shapiro. However, it does speak to Kamala Harris’ attempts to appease the radicals in the Democratic party,” said Rez. “[These] radicals are not just screaming about what’s happening in Gaza, it is a war and it’s horrifying what’s happening, but they are screaming for the annihilation of Israel.”
Rez said Shapiro is well-liked by Pennsylvanians and was a “moderate choice.”
“Illinois’ Pritzker, he’s Jewish. U.S. Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona’s wife is Jewish. Maybe she didn’t want any affiliation,” said Rez.
Pritzker said it was ludicrous for Republicans to charge Democrats with antisemitism.
“It’s become a party that seems to reject anybody that doesn’t look like their two nominees [former President Donald Trump and vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance]. They talk about the person who will be nominated at the Democratic convention [Harris] as someone who is ‘other’ and separating her identity,” said Pritzker at an unrelated event. “These people have no shame.”
Rez said it was puzzling for a sitting vice president and members of congress to be absent from the prime minister's address.
“The presiding vice president over the Senate, Kamala Harris, chose to attend a sorority event instead. It is extremely upsetting and puzzling,” said Rez. “It was a huge slap in the face not just for the government of Israel, but the seven million jews in Israel, the hundreds of thousands of dual citizens in Israel, and for Jewish-Americans. Again, Israel is in a state of war and we felt she should have been there.”
During Netanyahu's speech, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Michigan, held up a sign that read "war criminal" on one side and "guilty of genocide" on the other.
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