Bolton blasts Sanders for AIPAC boycott: ‘What’s next? Omar for secretary of state?’

“What’s next? @IlhanMN as Sec of State?” Bolton tweeted.

By World Israel News Staff

President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton is blasting Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders for skipping next week’s annual policy conference in Washington of AIPAC, the leading pro-Israel lobby group.

“I remain concerned about the platform AIPAC provides for leaders who express bigotry and oppose basic Palestinian rights. For that reason I will not attend their conference,” tweeted Sanders on Sunday.

“America is getting a full dose of @berniesanders extremism,” Bolton fired back on Tuesday.

“He glorifies communist Cuba & now he’s calling @AIPAC ‘leaders who express bigotry.’ In the past, he’s called the Israeli govt ‘racist.’ What’s next? @IlhanMN as Sec of State?” Bolton tweeted.

America is getting a full dose of @berniesanders extremism. He glorifies communist Cuba & now he’s calling @AIPAC “leaders who express bigotry.” In the past, he’s called the Israeli govt “racist.” What’s next? @IlhanMN as Sec of State?

— John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) February 25, 2020

In its response, the lobby group noted that “many of his [Sanders’] own Senate and House Democratic colleagues and leaders speak from our platform to over 18,000 Americans from widely diverse backgrounds —Democrats, Republicans, Jews, Christians, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, progressives, Veterans, students, members of the LGBTQ+ community — who participate in the conference to proclaim their support for the U.S.-Israel relationship.”

Bolton’s reference to support by Sanders for former Cuban strongman Fidel Castro were comments by the presidential candidate on CBS that “we’re very opposed to the authoritarian nature of Cuba but you know, it’s unfair to simply say everything is bad. You know? When Fidel Castro came into office, you know what he did? He had a massive literacy program. Is that a bad thing? Even though Fidel Castro did it?”

At Tuesday’s debate of candidates for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, Sanders condemned Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“What I happen to believe is that right now, sadly, tragically, in Israel, through Bibi Netanyahu, you have a reactionary racist who is now running that country,” Sanders charged.

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Mich.), who was sarcastically suggested by Bolton as a potential secretary of state, has been named by thousands of voters as 2019’s “Anti-Semite of the Year.”

The poll, organized by StopAntisemitism.org, at the end of 2019, invited the public to vote for whom they thought spread the most hate and bigotry against the Jewish people.

AIPACBernie SandersIlhan OmarJohn Bolton