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
3 - Lobbying and Traveling with Congress
As the
Center for Responsive Politics points out, other pro-Israel
groups put more money directly into elections than AIPAC, but federal
lobbying is where the group spends the bulk of its money in politics.
AIPAC leads all pro-Israel groups in lobbying spending by a long
shot. Each year since 2014, AIPAC has spent north of $3 million to
lobby the federal government.
AIPAC
has logged several victories under Trump, including the relocation of
the Israeli embassy to Jerusalem, the U.S.’s withdrawal from the
Obama-era Iran Deal, and cuts in U.S. aid to Palestinians.
While
the organization’s lobbyists try to woo Congress, AIPAC also funds
annual trips to Israel for senators and representatives. McCarthy
tweeted on Monday that leading congressional trips to Israel is one
of his “greatest honors.” According to Legistorm, AIPAC’s
charity arm has spent $15.7 million on congressional visits to Israel
since 2000. On gift travel disclosures, AIPAC says the purpose of
these trips is “educating policymakers about the U.S.-Israel
relationship.”
In
addition to frequent lobbying and regular trips to Israel, AIPAC
hosts an annual convention in Washington that many top politicians
attend. According to Quartz, “AIPAC’s command over U.S.
politicians was evident [in March 2016], when presidential candidates
Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton all spoke in
person at AIPAC’s annual convention.”
At the
2018 convention, speakers included Vice President Mike Pence,
then-U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, and a number
of the U.S. representatives who criticized Omar for her tweets on
AIPAC’s political influence on Monday: Ted Deutsch (D-Fla.),
now-Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Engel, McCarthy, now-Speaker
Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Steve Scalise (R-La.), and Lee Zeldin
(R-N.Y.).
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