U.S.
representatives claimed their colleague, Rep. Ilhan Omar, was
anti-Semitic when she brought up AIPAC’s influence over members of
Congress.
by
Alex Kotch
Part
1
On
Monday, congressional Republicans and Democrats called out freshman
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) for her tweet alleging that money motivated
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to threaten to punish
Omar and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.)—the first two Muslim women
ever elected to Congress—for their criticism of the Israeli
government.
It's all about the Benjamins baby 🎶 https://t.co/KatcXJnZLV— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) February 10, 2019
While
it’s difficult to pin down what motivates the policy decisions of
individual members of Congress, it’s relevant to consider the
strong influence that AIPAC has over Congress, which Omar did in a
follow-up tweet.
The
congresswoman from Minnesota, who came to the U.S. in 1995 as a
Somali refugee, did not allege that AIPAC is the only pro-Israel
organization seeking to influence American politicians’ actions
regarding Israel. It is, however, one of the most powerful.
Does
AIPAC directly pay members of Congress to vote for “pro-Israel”
policies, something Omar alleged and Forward opinion editor Batya
Ungar-Sargon challenged on Twitter? The short answer is “no,” but
the nuanced answer is far more complicated.
Here’s
how AIPAC spends money to influence American politics.
Source,
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