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At a Black Historical past Month occasion in New Rochelle over the weekend, George Latimer mentioned Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., whom he’s difficult in a Democratic main, was taking cash from the Palestinian militant group Hamas, a U.S.-designated international terror group. On Tuesday, Bowman’s marketing campaign threatened to sue Latimer for defamation over the remarks and demanded he retract them.
Latimer’s feedback got here when a constituent, who requested anonymity for private security, approached the Democratic challenger with two questions: Why was he operating, and why was he taking cash from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee? AIPAC had recruited him to run for the congressional seat and, as The Intercept beforehand reported, is Latimer’s largest marketing campaign funder.
When the constituent mentioned Latimer was “taking cash from the satan,” Latimer responded that Bowman was too — that the incumbent was “taking cash from Hamas.”
The incendiary cost got here in a Democratic main the place AIPAC is taking part in an outsized function in making an attempt to oust a progressive member of the Squad. The flagship Israel foyer’s quest to unseat Democratic incumbents and change them with centrist and reasonable candidates who vigorously assist Israel has develop into probably the most outstanding theme of the 2024 main season.
“It’s outright disturbing and harmful that he has doubled down on his Islamophobic feedback,” Bowman mentioned in a press release to The Intercept. “He ought to apologize to a group he continues to vilify and endanger, not double down on hatred.”
Latimer had supplied his broadside towards Bowman with little proof. Challenged on the remark, which was first reported by the web site Black Westchester, the constituent requested Latimer to supply proof and Latimer took their e mail. AJ Woodson, who runs Black Westchester and wrote the article, confirmed the constituent’s account of the remarks, which Woodson witnessed from a number of ft away.
Latimer later despatched the constituent a hyperlink to an article from the right-wing information web site Washington Free Beacon with the headline “They Endorsed Hamas Terrorism. Then They Hosted a Huge-Ticker Fundraiser for Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush.” Whereas the article factors to controversial remarks made in regards to the October 7 Hamas assault by teams with ties to the marketing campaign donors — one group, as an illustration, mentioned acts of resistance shouldn’t be condemned — it doesn’t allege that any of the fundraiser’s members are linked to Hamas in any approach.
When requested by the press about his allegation, Latimer didn’t deny the remarks and once more sought to tie Bowman to Hamas. “Let me set the report straight – my opponent takes cash from those that endorse Hamas’ terrorism, those that attempt to justify the murdering of kids, the kidnapping of civilian hostages, and the raping of girls as acts of ‘resistance,’” Latimer mentioned in assertion to Metropolis & State. (Latimer didn’t reply to The Intercept’s request for remark.)
Republicans for Latimer
Latimer’s feedback had been a part of a method by his marketing campaign and AIPAC to stoke worry about Bowman amongst Westchester’s Jewish residents, mentioned the constituent who confronted the candidate.
“It’s kind of just like the northeast model of the southern technique.”
“It’s kind of just like the northeast model of the southern technique,” they mentioned. “Now the Latimer technique, or extra just like the AIPAC technique, is to hyperlink progressives who might need a ceasefire and that acknowledge what’s in Gaza is horrible, to hyperlink them in a racist technique to Hamas, when that’s not what they’re engaged in.”
Woodson, the Black Westchester author, was a vendor on the New Rochelle occasion and mentioned he additionally spoke to Latimer about frustration that his marketing campaign was courting Republican voters.
AIPAC endorsed Latimer’s marketing campaign simply days after he held a fundraiser hosted by a Republican donor who supported former President Donald Trump. An AIPAC donor has additionally inspired Jewish Republicans to modify events to vote within the main towards Bowman.
“I’m towards the Republicans telling all their members to register as Democrats to allow them to vote towards Bowman within the Democratic main,” Woodson mentioned. “If Democrats really feel that Latimer is the proper candidate, then they need to be free to vote for him with out outdoors interference from a whole bunch or hundreds of Republican voters within the Democratic main.”
AIPAC has ramped up its assaults on members of Congress who’ve criticized U.S. navy assist for Israel and voted for a ceasefire decision launched in October. Bowman is one in all AIPAC’s most important targets this cycle, together with different members of the Squad together with Reps. Cori Bush, D-Mo.; Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.; and Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.
The Israel foyer group has performed an even bigger function in congressional elections in current cycles and launched a Tremendous PAC that plans to spend $100 million towards the Squad this 12 months. Throughout the 2020 cycle, AIAPC endorsed greater than 100 Republicans who voted to overturn the outcomes of the 2020 presidential election.
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