{"id":2284895,"date":"2024-06-27T19:49:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-27T23:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hakeem-jeffries-avoids-taking-sides-in-squad-progressives-campaign-against-aipac-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-06-27T19:53:32","modified_gmt":"2024-06-27T23:53:32","slug":"hakeem-jeffries-avoids-taking-sides-in-squad-progressives-campaign-against-aipac-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hakeem-jeffries-avoids-taking-sides-in-squad-progressives-campaign-against-aipac-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Hakeem Jeffries avoids taking sides in \u2018Squad\u2019 progressives\u2019 campaign against AIPAC &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/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%2Fhakeem-jeffries-avoids-taking-sides-in-squad-progressives-campaign-against-aipac-washington-examiner%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=2284895&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--><p>House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries \u200b(D-NY) has taken a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/upenn-student-government-rejects-internationally-accepted-definition-of-anti-semitism\/\" title=\"UPenn Student Government Rejects Internationally Accepted Definition of Anti-Semitism\">neutral stance<\/a> regarding the American Israel Public Affairs Committee\u2019s (AIPAC) influence in Democratic primaries, particularly highlighted by AIPAC&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hillary-clinton-endorses-jamaal-bowman-primary-challenger-in-new-york\/\" title=\"Hillary Clinton backs Jamaal Bowman's opponent in New York primary\">significant financial involvement<\/a> which \u200dled to House progressive \u201cSquad\u201d member Rep. \u2063Jamaal Bowman\u2019s\u2062 (D-NY) heavy \u200cdefeat in a primary race. Jeffries equated AIPAC&#8217;s actions with other <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-biden-mccarthy-debt-ceiling-fight-in-historical-perspective\/\" title=\"The Biden-McCarthy Debt-Ceiling Fight in Historical Perspective\">interest groups supporting<\/a> their aligned candidates, indicating that\u200b such practices are \u200bcommon across different political and issue-focused groups in the U.S. Despite his pro-Israel stance, he\u2062 refrained from taking sides in the Bowman \u200bincident and\u2063 instead focused on the broader theme of democracy\u200b reform, emphasizing the \u2064unity within the Democratic\u2063 Party. Jeffries also downplayed\u2062 the significance of Bowman&#8217;s loss by suggesting that incumbent \u200closses are not unusual in his experience and do not necessarily reflect \u200ba broader\u2064 trend within the party. Lastly, he reiterated the\u2062 party leadership&#8217;s support for all incumbent \u200bmembers facing primaries, as seen in the upcoming challenge faced by Squad member Rep. Cori Budd (D-MO).  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>House Minority Leader <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hakeem-jeffries\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Hakeem Jeffries\">Hakeem Jeffries<\/a> (D-NY) avoided condemning or endorsing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/aipac\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"American Israel Public Affairs Committee\u2019s\">American Israel Public Affairs Committee\u2019s<\/a> role in Democratic primaries.<\/p>\n<p>AIPAC earned its biggest scalp this week when House progressive \u201cSquad\u201d Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3057326\/bowman-primary-squad-democrat-israel-new-york\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>was dealt a landslide defeat<\/a> in his primary against George Latimer. The group poured enough funds into the race to turn it into the most expensive House race in U.S. history. Speaking with reporters, the pro-Israel Jeffries took a middle line, refusing to side with Bowman or AIPAC.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPro-Israel groups are going to support pro-Israel members of Congress. Pro-reproductive freedom groups are going to support pro-reproductive freedom members of Congress. Pro-climate groups are going to support pro-climate members of Congress, or candidates, out in communities across the country,\u201d Jeffries dismissively replied when asked if AIPAC\u2019s massive spending was \u201cappropriate.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks during his weekly news conference on Capitol Hill, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Mariam Zuhaib)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Democratic leader went on to shift focus to \u201cdemocracy reform,\u201d saying the different factions of the Democratic Party were united around protecting democracy.<\/p>\n<p>Another reporter pressed him on Bowman, asking what message his primary defeat sent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom the very beginning of my journey in Congress, there hasn\u2019t been an electoral cycle where a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rep-gaetz-confirms-he-would-step-down-from-house-to-defend-president-trump\/\" title=\"Rep. Gaetz confirms he would step down from house to defend President Trump\">sitting member<\/a> of the House Democratic Caucus hasn\u2019t been lost,\u201d he answered. \u201cIt\u2019s only happened in a handful of occasions, each and every Congress \u2014 it\u2019s only happened once in this cycle. So, in my view, it\u2019s hard to draw any general conclusion when the overwhelming majority of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dangling-by-a-thread-health-of-aging-democratic-congress-members-crucial-for-progressive-agenda\/\" title=\"\u2018Dangling By A Thread\u2019: Health Of Aging Democratic Congress Members Crucial For Progressive Agenda\">incumbent members<\/a> of the House Democratic Caucus, from the moment that I first showed up in Washington, D.C., had been reelected. Each district is unique. Each campaign is unique.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He was also asked about a possible repeat of Bowman\u2019s situation \u2014 Squad Rep. Cori Bush\u2019s (D-MO) August primary challenge against an AIPAC-backed centrist challenger.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have supported, as House Democratic leaders, every single incumbent member of the House Democratic Caucus,\u201d Jeffries said. \u201cAnd there\u2019s no expectations as far as I can tell that that will change. We have a process to discuss the manner in which any endorsements are rolled out and presented to the communities that our members are privileged to represent. That process is ongoing right now for Rep. Bush and several other members who will face the voters in August.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>AIPAC is among the most powerful lobbying groups in the country, pouring huge amounts of funds into both Republican and Democratic candidates. Their role has come under heavy scrutiny by progressive Democrats, scrutiny that has been magnified by the war in Gaza and Bowman\u2019s race.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAn unspoken secret in Congress is that much of the reflexive, blind,\u00a0unconditional vote support for nearly any Israeli gov action isn\u2019t from actual agreement,\u201d Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) wrote on X this month. \u201cIt\u2019s from fear. Reps are terrified of this. Of AIPAC. So they don\u2019t vote their conscience. They vote their fear.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div>\n<blockquote data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>An unspoken secret in Congress is that much of the reflexive, blind, unconditional vote support for nearly any Israeli gov action isn\u2019t from actual agreement.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s from fear.<\/p>\n<p>Reps are terrified of this \u2b07\ufe0f. Of AIPAC. So they don\u2019t vote their conscience. They vote their fear. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0MmZnUtBTH\">https:\/\/t.co\/0MmZnUtBTH<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u2014 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AOC\/status\/1803528341359829265?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 19, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Jeffries has struggled to keep his caucus together over the passions stirred by the war in Gaza, with the party split between the pro-Palestinian views of the mostly younger, progressive Democrats and pro-Israeli views of mostly older, centrist Democrats.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) neither condemned nor endorsed AIPAC&#8217;s involvement in Democratic primaries. This week, AIPAC significantly influenced the defeat of progressive &#8220;Squad&#8221; member Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) by George Latimer, having invested heavily in the race<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2653,"featured_media":2284896,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/061424_JEFFRIES-14-1024x682.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[33006,4087,32854,33121,32076],"class_list":["post-2284895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-aipac","tag-campaign","tag-hakeem-jeffries","tag-squad-progressives","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/061424_JEFFRIES-14-1024x682.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2284895","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\/2653"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2284895"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2284895\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2284896"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2284895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2284895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2284895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}