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3:33 p.m. ET, March 17, 2024
How US lawmakers are reacting to the Schumer speech that Netanyahu called “totally inappropriate”
Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Here’s some of the latest reaction to the comments by Washington’s highest-ranking Jewish official:
Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has defended Schumer’s recent comments on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday.
“Senator Schumer’s speech came from his heart — what he believes is necessary for peace,” Cardin said.
The Maryland senator said Schumer was simply calling for Israelis to be able to vote for who they want as leader, and that this will only happen once Israel has gotten “past Hamas.”
“The prime minister’s presentation proved the necessity of Chuck Schumer’s speech,” Pelosi said.
Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, slammed Schumer’s comments as “inappropriate” and “embarrassing” Sunday.
“There’s a way to talk about your differences – not to topple a democratic country,” the Texas Republican said on “Fox News Sunday.” McCaul characterized the speech as indicative of a “split in the Democratic party” between what he called a “pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel faction” and those who support Israel.
McCaul said a Rafah offensive would allow Israel to take out “high-value targets” in Hamas.
Meanwhile, on the campaign trail: Former President Donald Trump has criticized Schumer, suggesting Israel is loyal to the Democratic Party “to a fault.” Asked on Fox News today if the majority leader’s words amounted to the US telling a sovereign ally how to run its government, Trump answered, “100%. There’s no question about it and they don’t know where to go. They’re very bad for Israel.”
The former president has repeatedly been criticized for parroting the antisemitic trope that US Jews, a population that historically has voted for Democrats by wide margins, have dual loyalties to the US and Israel.
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