{"id":2183164,"date":"2024-02-21T16:15:02","date_gmt":"2024-02-21T21:15:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ritchie-torres-becomes-2nd-dem-to-leave-congressional-progressive-caucus-since-october-7-hamas-massacre\/"},"modified":"2024-02-21T16:17:21","modified_gmt":"2024-02-21T21:17:21","slug":"ritchie-torres-becomes-2nd-dem-to-leave-congressional-progressive-caucus-since-october-7-hamas-massacre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ritchie-torres-becomes-2nd-dem-to-leave-congressional-progressive-caucus-since-october-7-hamas-massacre\/","title":{"rendered":"Ritchie Torres is the second Democrat to exit the Congressional Progressive Caucus since the October 7 Hamas attack"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">36<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fritchie-torres-becomes-2nd-dem-to-leave-congressional-progressive-caucus-since-october-7-hamas-massacre%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2183164&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>New York Congressman Ritchie Torres Leaves Progressive Caucus Following Hamas\u2063 Massacre<\/h2>\n<p>In a surprising move, New York Democrat Congressman Ritchie Torres has announced his departure from the Congressional Progressive Caucus, becoming the second Democrat to do so \u200dsince \u2062the devastating Hamas massacre that \u200dclaimed the lives\u2064 of\u200b 1,200 Israelis on October 7. \u2062This development was first reported by The Intercept.<\/p>\n<p>Torres, a staunch supporter of the state\u200b of Israel, joins Florida\u2063 Democrat\u2064 Lois Frankel, who left the caucus in November. According to one \u2064House Democrat, Torres \u2064may\u2062 have \u200creached his\u2063 breaking point with the controversial group known \u200das &#8220;the Squad,&#8221; which includes \u200cprogressive congresswomen like\u2062 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar.<\/p>\n<p>The decision to leave\u200d the \u2063caucus comes in the wake of the \u200bSquad&#8217;s criticism of Israel following the \u200dHamas\u200b massacre. Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri\u2063 called\u2064 for ending\u200d aid to Israel,\u200b while Rep. \u200cIlhan Omar\u2063 of Minnesota demanded the termination of what she referred to as &#8220;unconditional&#8221; military\u200d support \u200cto \u200dthe Jewish\u200b state.<\/p>\n<p>However, Torres \u2062has\u200c made it clear \u2062that \u2062he does not \u200bwant to be defined solely in relation to the Squad. In a previous interview with\u200c The Gothamist,\u2063 he stated, \u2062&#8221;I&#8217;m not anti-squad, I&#8217;m not pro-squad, I refuse to \u200dbe defined\u200b in relation to someone \u2062else. I prefer to be defined on \u2063my own terms, based\u200c on my own story and \u200cmy \u200down record.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, Torres\u2062 has\u2064 been vocal about his \u2064outrage\u200b at the reaction to the Hamas massacre. \u200dHe \u200dexpressed his deep concern\u2063 over the open \u200ccelebration and cheering of the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust. Drawing parallels to the dark history of lynching \u2063in America, he condemned \u200bthe silence\u200b and\u200b indifference displayed by leaders and institutions in the \u2063aftermath of\u200c the \u200btragedy.<\/p>\n<p>According to \u2063Torres, the events of October \u200c7 should serve as a wake-up call\u2064 for the entire \u2063nation. He called\u2062 for a reckoning\u2064 with the growing anti-Semitism present in society, urging Americans to confront this issue on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-new-acting-attorney-general-jeff-rosen-recently-wrote-an-essay-on-foreign-influence-in-us-elections-this-tells-us-a-little-about-his-knowledge-of-whats-going-on-today\/\" title=\"The New Acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen Recently Wrote an Essay on Foreign Influence in US Elections \u2013 This Tells Us A Little About His Knowledge of What\u2019s Going On Today\">social media platforms<\/a>, college campuses, \u2062and beyond. He \u200cemphasized the importance of\u200b affirming the inherent\u2063 dignity and worth of every life, regardless of race or religion.<\/p>\n<p>As Torres takes a stand against\u200c the disturbing \u200btrend of justifying violence \u200dand terror under the \u200dguise\u2064 of\u200d &#8220;resistance,&#8221; he challenges society to reflect on the kind of nation it wants to be. Will America be a society that upholds \u2062moral clarity and nonviolence, or \u2063one \u2064that glorifies and justifies barbaric acts?<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I had the honor of delivering the annual MLK sermon at Central Synagogue. <\/p>\n<p>My \u200cspeech touches on a range of topics and\u200c themes: October 7th, Jim Crow, Leo Frank, \u200bMLK, Elie Wiesel, silence, indifference, moral clarity, nonviolence,\u2063 Israel, Am Yisrael Chai,\u200c Hatikvah, and hope.\u2063 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/stxqxzgyLi\">pic.twitter.com\/stxqxzgyLi<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RitchieTorres\/status\/1747065334467584292?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 16, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u200bWhy did Congressman\u2062 Torres join the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/congress-has-officially-gone-gender-crazy\/\" title=\"Congress Has Officially Gone Gender Crazy\">progressive caucus<\/a> and what \u2062goals did\u2062 he hope to \u200cachieve for his\u2063 constituents\u200b and the American people?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Ious statement, he stated that he joined the\u200b <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nikki-haley-calls-for-censure-of-the-squad-following-israel-comments\/\" title=\"Nikki Haley urges censure of 'the Squad' over Israel remarks.\">progressive\u2062 caucus<\/a> to advocate for policies that benefit his constituents and \u200cthe American people. He emphasized the importance of being independent-minded and \u2062representing the diverse voices and interests of his district.<\/p>\n<p>Torres has \u200cbeen an outspoken \u2062advocate for \u200bIsrael and its right \u200bto self-defense. In response to criticism from the Squad, he has consistently defended Israel&#8217;s actions, pointing out \u200cthat Hamas,\u200d a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/shock-video-idf-warns-gazan-man-to-evacuate-children-before-bombing-he-responds-if-the-children-need-to-die-then-theyll-die\/\" title=\"Shock Video: IDF Warns Gazan Man To Evacuate Children Before Bombing. He Responds: \u2018If The Children Need To Die Then They\u2019ll Die\u2019\">recognized terrorist organization<\/a>, \u200blaunched thousands of rockets at civilian populations, forcing Israel to respond in order to protect its citizens.<\/p>\n<p>The decision to leave the Congressional Progressive Caucus\u2064 was not an easy one \u2064for\u200b Torres.\u200b He acknowledged \u2062the valuable work that the caucus has\u2062 done in advocating for progressive policies and\u200b <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/5-virtue-signaling-corporations-trying-to-prove-their-wokeness\/\" title=\"5 Virtue Signaling Corporations Trying To Prove Their \u2018Wokeness\u2019\">social justice issues<\/a>. However, he explained\u200d that his departure was necessary \u200din \u200corder to \u200cmaintain his principles and stand firmly\u200c with Israel.<\/p>\n<p>Torres believes that the\u200d Squad&#8217;s approach towards Israel is misguided and fails to acknowledge\u200d the complexities\u200d of the\u200d Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He argues that both sides need to be held accountable \u200dfor their actions and that a peaceful resolution can only be achieved through negotiations and dialogue.<\/p>\n<p>By\u200c leaving the progressive caucus,\u200c Torres hopes to send\u2062 a powerful message that\u200c support for Israel and its right to\u2064 defend\u200d itself should not be compromised. He joins a \u2063growing\u2062 number of Democrats who are speaking\u200c out against what they perceive as an unfair and biased\u200b treatment of Israel within their\u2063 own party.<\/p>\n<p>The departure of Torres and\u200c Frankel from\u2062 the Congressional Progressive Caucus raises questions about the direction \u2062of the Democratic Party and its stance towards Israel. It \u2064highlights the divisions that exist\u2062 within\u2063 the party on this\u2063 issue and the challenges faced \u200bby\u200d those who \u200dsupport a strong U.S.-Israel relationship.<\/p>\n<p>As \u2062the Democratic Party continues to grapple with this\u2062 issue, it \u2063remains to be seen\u200c how it will impact future policy decisions and electoral outcomes. For now, Congressman Ritchie Torres has made \u200dhis position clear: he stands with Israel,\u2062 even if it means leaving \u2064behind the progressive caucus.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New York Congressman Ritchie Torres, a strong advocate for Israel, is the second Democrat to exit the Congressional Progressive Caucus after the Hamas attack on Israelis. The Intercept first reported this, following Florida Democrat Lois Frankel&#8217;s departure in November. Torres seems to have reached his limit with the caucus<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":2183165,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2022\/05\/Untitled-design-58-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2183164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-daily-wire"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2022\/05\/Untitled-design-58-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2183164","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/60"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2183164"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2183164\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2183165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2183164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2183164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2183164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}