Former New York Democratic Rep. Mondaire Jones deleted a social media post Wednesday after lawmakers in his own party called it “anti-Semitic” and “disgusting.”
Jones, who is running to reclaim his seat representing New York’s 17th Congressional District, tweeted a photo Tuesday of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY ) meeting with Jewish leaders at the Empire State Building with the caption: “Well, this was a waste of everyone’s time.”
The photo showed McCarthy and Lawler wearing kippahs and eating alongside the religious leaders.
Jones’ tweet was posted shortly after McCarthy was stripped of his chairmanship on Tuesday by House Democrats and eight Republicans.
Liz Gereghty, sister of Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is challenging Jones in her primary race for Congress, questioned the former congressman’s “judgment” after seeing the tweet.
“If Mondaire Jones didn’t realize that his tweet could be seen as anti-Semitic and provoke vile comments in response, I would question his judgment,” Gereghty told Jewish Insider.
Democrats criticized Jones for the tweet. X / Mondaire Jones
“If he did it anyway, that’s much, much worse,” he added. “As someone with a large social media platform running for Congress, you have a responsibility to hold yourself to the highest standards possible and I hope you will be more thoughtful in the future, because the rise of hate in this nation is currently one of the greatest threats to our security and stability. “I will never take any community for granted or exploit it for personal gain.”
Reps. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) and Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), both Jewish, also criticized Jones for the tweet.
“This was not a waste of time. It is never a waste of time to meet with religious leaders,” Moskowitz tweeted, according to The Hill. “Also, I doubt his choice of religion to highlight here was a coincidence.”
Jones is running to represent New York’s 17th Congressional District in Congress again. fake images
“This disgusting publication is an insult to the Jewish people and every person of faith. Meeting with religious leaders is essential to understanding the needs of our communities. “This anti-Semitic rhetoric is deeply troubling,” Gottheimer said.
Both lawmakers deleted their posts after Jones deleted his.
“Yesterday I posted a tweet that was too open to misinterpretation,” Jones tweeted Wednesday. “My point was to communicate that Kevin McCarthy, and by extension Mike Lawler, cannot deliver for the communities of Rockland. [County] because he is no longer Speaker.”
“Unfortunately, I did not make this point clear enough, which is why I deleted the tweet,” Jones added. “I am proud of my record of fighting anti-Semitism in Congress and after Congress. In a time of rising anti-Semitism, we must be very clear where we stand: I remain a strong ally of our diverse Jewish communities.”
Lawler, who will face Jones in 2024 if the former lawmaker can beat Gereghty in the primary, told Jewish Insider that the former New York representative’s comments “are shocking, but not surprising for a guy who is friends with anti-Semites like Pramila.” . Jayapal, Jamaal Bowman and the rest of the team.”
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