Rep. Summer Lee appeared to confuse Rep. Josh Gottheimer with Gov. Josh Shapiro during an online exchange.

By World Israel News Staff

Reps. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) mistakenly attacked a fellow Democrat on social media — apparently confusing him with another Jewish Democratic politician who shares the same first name — and then refused to back down after the error was pointed out.

The exchange began Monday after Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) criticized the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), arguing that the group’s increasingly radical positions, including its anti-Israel activism, have alienated many mainstream Democrats.

“The DSA are not Democrats. They’re socialists, who want to hijack the Democratic Party,” Gottheimer wrote on X. “The Democrats have a big tent. That’s our strength. We embrace a range of ideas — but there’s no room for anti-American bomb-throwers who oppose our ideas, values, & leaders.”

Rep. Summer Lee responded by accusing Gottheimer of being among the Democrats who “sign bombs and vote to drop them.”

The remark appeared to reference Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who signed an artillery shell during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s September 2024 visit to Pennsylvania. The shell was intended for use in Ukraine’s war against Russia.

Gottheimer quickly corrected Lee.

“You know that’s the other Jewish guy named Josh, right?” he wrote.

Rather than acknowledging the mistake, Rep. Ilhan Omar stepped in to defend Lee, arguing that Gottheimer had voted in favor of military assistance to Ukraine.

“Shapiro signed the bombs you voted to be dropped,” Omar wrote, adding sarcastically, “Hope this helps!”

Gottheimer responded by pointing out that Omar herself had supported the very same legislation.

“Ilhan, you know who else voted for it? You,” Gottheimer responded.

Neither Lee nor Omar publicly acknowledged confusing the two politicians or apologized following the exchange. Their offices also did not respond to media requests for comment.

The incident attracted attention because several prominent Jewish Democratic elected officials share the first name Josh. In addition to Gottheimer and Shapiro, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein and Hawaii Gov. Josh Green are currently in office.

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Casey’s cagey answer prompted a fiery response from his Republican challenger, Dave McCormick.

By Chuck Ross, The Washington Free Beacon

Sen. Bob Casey refused Wednesday to revoke his endorsement of fellow Pennsylvania Democrat Summer Lee over her recent anti-Israel remarks, telling a Jewish group he has to instead “concentrate” on his own reelection campaign.

Just two days earlier, on the one-year anniversary of Oct. 7, Lee issued a statement blaming Israel for Hamas’s terror attack, rhetoric that the Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh said “inflamed our community.”

Casey was asked at an event for the Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh about the status of his endorsement for Lee after she blamed Israel for provoking Hamas’s terrorist attack.

“This violence did not start on October 7th, but it can end now if we all commit to peace and diplomacy,” said Lee, who made no mention of Hamas or the 1,200 Israelis slaughtered by the Islamist terrorist group.

“Since Summer Lee has inflamed our community, or put forward inflammatory remarks, will you revoke your endorsement of congresswoman Summer Lee?” a moderator asked Casey at the event.

The three-term incumbent dodged the question, though he called Lee’s remarks “insensitive” and “inappropriate,” especially given the timing of her statement on the anniversary of the Hamas attack.

“I think I’ve been pretty clear about condemning categorically what was said in that statement and condemning categorically hateful speech or speech that is anti-Semitic, and I stand on that record,” Casey said about his endorsement for Lee.

“I realize that some want me to get involved in other races. I’ve got a race for the United States Senate I’ve got to concentrate on,” he added.

Casey’s cagey answer prompted a fiery response from his Republican challenger, Dave McCormick.

“Shameful,” said McCormick. “Bob Casey DECLINES to revoke his endorsement of antisemitic Rep. Summer Lee.”

It is unclear why Casey would publicly rebuke Lee but still maintain his endorsement for the freshman Democrat. But it could be due to the key role Casey played in helping her get elected to Congress in 2022.

Lee lists Casey on her campaign website at the top of her list of endorsers, and earlier this year sent out campaign flyers that said she was “strongly endorsed” by Casey.

Casey campaigned for Lee multiple times in 2022, and hailed Lee after her victory as a “tireless advocate” who has “dedicated her life’s work to social justice, bringing change to her community, & improving the lives of PA’s working families.”

Casey served on the host committee for Lee’s reelection campaign launch in September 2023, though the duo appear to have not campaigned together since then.

Until this week, Casey had largely ignored calls to comment on Lee’s anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric. Weeks after the Hamas attack, Lee accused Israel of waging genocide in Gaza.

She was one of the first House Democrats to call on Israel to enforce a unilateral ceasefire in Gaza, without conditions for the release of hostages taken by Hamas.

More than 40 Jewish leaders rebuked Lee earlier this year after she planned to speak at a fundraiser for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, an anti-Israel group whose director, Nihad Awad, said he was “happy to see” Hamas attack Israel.

Lee accepted $2,000 in campaign contributions from Awad weeks after his inflammatory remarks, the Washington Free Beacon reported. The Jewish leaders, which included the rabbi of the Tree of Life synagogue, the site of the worst anti-Semitic terrorist attack on American soil, said Lee had engaged in “openly anti-Semitic” rhetoric.

While Casey has largely defended Israel in its fight with Hamas, he has courted groups with well-known links to the terrorist group.

That includes CAIR, which Casey praised in 2016 for its “fight against rising discrimination.” He said the group was a “testament to the bravery, work ethic and ideals of everyone involved.”

In 2009, federal prosecutors identified CAIR as an “unindicted coconspirator” of an Islamic charity that raised money for Hamas. Many of CAIR’s officials have worked for decades for Hamas or Hamas front groups.

Lee has not directly responded to Casey, but made reference to the “current blowup” on her personal Facebook page.

“It’s hard to articulate how shameful it is to not just condemn, but villainize earnest calls for peace and expressing equal measures of value, empathy and compassion for all the innocent folks impacted by war,” she wrote.

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Member of far-left ‘Squad’ accuses pro-Israel lobby group of racism for not backing her over her ‘blatant anti-Israel positions.’

By World Israel News Staff

A Democratic congresswoman has accused America’s largest pro-Israel lobby group of racism, citing its failure to support her as a result of her anti-Israel positions.

Summer Lee (D-PA), a former member of the Democratic Socialists of America and member of the far-left ‘Squad’ of progressive Democrats in the House of Representatives, took aim at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) recently, over the lobby group’s criticism of her stance vis-a-vis Israel.

Writing in a series of posts in a private Facebook group last month, Lee excoriated AIPAC for not endorsing her because of what the group called her “blatant anti-Israel positions,” Politico revealed.

“AIPAC is not supporting those Black candidates to be supportive of their community’s needs if the only issue it cares about is their own. That’s textbook racism actually.”

In another post, Lee said the pro-Israel lobby group constituted an “existential threat” to African Americans.

“Since no one else will say it, I will: AIPAC is an existential threat to the Black community and its right to self [determination].”

AIPAC spokesperson Marshall Wittmann called Lee’s accusations “slanderous,” and a “transparent attempt to hide her strident anti-Israel record.”

Lee responded by saying that she stands “by my assertion,” before accusing AIPAC of being “an existential threat to all of democracy.”

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Far-left congresswoman launches racial assault on pro-Israel group, while accusing it of bigotry.

By Andrew Bernard, The Algemeiner

Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA), a freshman congresswoman and new member of the so-called “Squad” of far-left lawmakers, accused the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) of racist bullying in a fiery social media spat with the pro-Israel lobbying group on Wednesday.

“This is a right-wing bully group that supports actual insurrection, white supremacists,” Lee said of AIPAC in response to a post criticizing her decision to boycott Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s address to Congress last month. “They spend even more money insisting that anyone who doesn’t agree [with] their extreme right-wing views is a bigot.”

Lee insisted AIPAC was focusing on her due to her race, class, and progressive political agenda.

“That’s the real reason they target and abuse me,” she said. “Because the truth is they’re just an extremely wealthy white org [sic] that operates like so many others: they hate progressive, Black, and poor folks fighting for themselves, who they can’t control.”

Lee also suggested that AIPAC used the charge of antisemitism to deflect criticism from itself.

“To point out the obvious power dynamic gets us labeled antisemitic,” she wrote. “It makes us targets of dangerous and incredibly disingenuous attacks. It chills speech.”

According to AIPAC, however, its criticism of Lee has been focused solely on her record on Israel.

“Summer Lee is outrageously attempting to distract attention from her consistently hostile record against Israel by making unfounded and scurrilous attacks against us,” an AIPAC spokesman told The Algemeiner. “In fact, we proudly support pro-Israel progressives including over half of the Congressional Black Caucus and Hispanic Caucus and almost half of the Progressive Caucus.”

AIPAC also did not hold back in slamming Lee on social media.

“Despite your transparent and baseless attempts to make it about race, gender, background or party, we oppose you only because of your anti-Israel votes and statements,” the group wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Lee did not immediately respond to The Algemeiner’s request for comment.

The spat between the freshman congresswoman and America’s most prominent pro-Israel lobbying group highlights a growing divide among Democrats over Israel, with the more progressive wing of the party being outspoken in its criticism of the Jewish state. Another issue is how pro-Israel political action committees should handle critics of Israel in Congress.

Last year, a political action committee affiliated with AIPAC called the United Democracy Project spent about $1 million to defeat Lee in the general election — the group’s only foray into a general election race that pit a Democrat against a Republican. That came after the group spent more than $2 million in an unsuccessful effort to keep her from winning the primary.

According to election experts, Lee was the only candidate to be elected in last year’s midterms after AIPAC opposed them in both the primary and general election.

Since taking office, Lee has joined fellow Squad members like Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) in being strongly critical of Israel while serving in Congress. Last month, Lee was one of nine members of the House to vote against a resolution declaring Israel “is not a racist or apartheid state.”

Such criticism has not prevented Lee from being endorsed by AIPAC rival J Street, which bills itself as “the political home of pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy Americans.” J Street’s endorsements of Lee, Bowman, and other members of Congress — such as Reps. Betty McCollum (D-MN) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) — who frequently attack Israel have been a growing point of contention between the two self-described pro-Israel groups.

“J Street claims to be pro-Israel yet is consistently endorsing and fundraising for the most hostile critics of Israel — including Rep. Lee,” the AIPAC spokesman said.

J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami said on MSNBC on Sunday that AIPAC’s political activity has warped American perceptions of Israel as he sought to portray the lobbying group as a right-wing organization.

“AIPAC represents a small percentage of Jewish America that at this point is not able to see what is going on in Israel and not able to support democracy and that somehow thinks that it’s OK to endorse insurrectionists who voted overturn the 2020 election, because somehow they support Israel,” Ben-Ami said.

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Anti-Israel progressive Summer Lee said she “doesn’t know” if Israel is an apartheid state.

By Adina Katz, World Israel News

Far-left congresswomen including Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) are preparing to welcome new members to their so-called “Squad,” after progressive candidates were elected in multiple states.

Summer Lee, an anti-Israel progressive candidate whose opponent received $1 million in funding from AIPAC, easily cruised to victory in Pennsylvania, winning some 55% of the vote and a formerly Republican seat.

“When I hear American [politicians] use the refrain ‘Israel has the right to defend itself’ in response to undeniable atrocities on a marginalized pop[ulation], I can’t help but think of how the West has always justified indiscriminate & disproportionate force & power on weakened & marginalized people,” Lee wrote on Twitter during the May 2021 Israel-Gaza clash.

She did not acknowledge the thousands of rockets intentionally fired at civilian communities in Israel or the Jews who were murdered during widespread Arab rioting in mixed Arab-Jewish cities during the conflict.

During an event at the Jewish Federation of Pittsburg in April 2022, Lee gave a coy answer when asked if Israel is an apartheid state.

“I don’t necessarily know the answer to that,” she said. “I don’t know that I am as well-versed in the intricacies of this.”

She added that she is opposed to anti-BDS legislation because it serves as a way to “criminalize a tactic that is rooted in peaceful protest.”

Rep. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) welcomed news of Lee’s election victory on Twitter early Wednesday.

“Let me congratulate @SummerForPA on her resounding victory in Pennsylvania’s 12th District,” Sanders wrote.

“Summer ran a great campaign and withstood an onslaught of outside money from billionaires. She will be a great congresswoman for the working class.”

Another progressive who won on Tuesday and may join the Squad is Delia Ramirez of Illinois, whose website describes her as a fighter “for the rights of all working families struggling to survive, whether it be housing justice, fully funding public schools, women’s reproductive rights, or Medicare for all.”

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