Sunday, 24 November 2024

Embattled Squad Member Rep. Cori Bush Calls Pro-Israel Group AIPAC a 'Threat to Democracy'


Embattled Squad Member Rep. Cori Bush Calls Pro-Israel Group AIPAC a ‘Threat to Democracy’
FILE - Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., speaks during a news conference, Dec. 8, 2022, on Capitol HiAP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, file

Embattled Squad member Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), who is facing a tough primary in August, called the pro-Israel advocacy group AIPAC a “threat to democracy” in a social media post on Wednesday.

She posted a statement on X with the headline, “My statement on AIPAC’s threat to Democracy,” adding, “Their far-right SuperPac and allies spent $20M to unseat my brother @JamaalBowmanNY.”

In the statement, she accused AIPAC, which stands for American Israel Public Affairs Committee Political Action Committee, of buying votes against Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), a fellow “Squad” member who recently lost a primary by double-digits to Democrat Westchester County Executive George Latimer.

Bush said in the statement, which seemed to rely on the anti-semitic trope that Jews use money to control the world:

20 million dollars. That was the staggering price tag put on unseating Jamaal Bowman—a Black, former middle school principal and a transformative, effective progressive legislator unafraid to challenge the status quo and stand up for regular, everyday people. My brother-in-service is the true representation of transformational leadership and brings the hope, change, love for all humanity, and the power of everyday people from our communities to Congress each and every day.

She accused the historically bipartisan group of being backed by “far-right” megadonors and “billionaire extremists” desperate “in their attempts to buy our democracy.” She continued:

AIPAC and their allies-backed by far-right Donald Trump megadonors-poured a tidal wave of cash into this primary race showing us just how desperate these billionaire extremists are in their attempts to buy our democracy, promote their own gain, and silence the voices of progress and justice. There should be no question about the need to get Big Money out of politics.

She said of donors to AIPAC, which supports Bush’s Democrat primary opponent Wesley Bell, “These same extremists are coming to St. Louis.” She said:

These same extremists are coming to St. Louis. They are bankrolling a faux-progressive, former Republican campaign operative to buy our deep blue Democratic seat. But let me be clear: St. Louis will not be silenced or sold out. We will rise up, louder and stronger than ever to show that our voices, our votes, and our values are not for sale. We will fight with everything we have to secure our democracy, to protect our reproductive freedoms and to deliver living wages, housing, community safety, Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, and union jobs for everyone in our communities. We will continue to fight for the future St. Louis deserves and show that organized people beats organized democracy. Because St. Louis is not for sale.

AIPAC also backed Bowman’s challenger, Latimer.

But Bowman had a short but sullied history in Congress, becoming notorious after illegally pulling a fire alarm to delay a vote in the House, then lying about it. He later was charged one count of pulling a false fire alarm, was ordered to pay $1,000 and given a plea deal where he could have the charges dropped in three months if he issued a formal apology to the Capitol Police.

He also made news after screaming in the hallways at fellow member of Congress Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY).

However, Bowman had more recently made headlines after a series of anti-Israel remarks after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 that upset establishment Democrat who support Israel. For example, Bowman accused reports of Hamas terrorists raping Israeli women “propaganda” and a “lie.” He later apologized for those remarks. But in a recent rally with fellow Squad member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY), he shouted for a “ceasefire” in the war between Israel and Hamas, screamed profanities, and waved a stool over his head.

Follow Breitbart News’s Kristina Wong on ”X”, Truth Social, or on Facebook.


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