Cory Booker Refuses to Condemn Anti-Semitism of Ilhan Omar

Earlier today, at the She the People Presidential Forum, Senator Cory Booker defended the numerous reprehensible anti-Semitic tropes that Ilhan Omar has been trafficking for years. RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks released the following statement:

The notion that Sen. Cory Booker is a friend of Israel and the Jewish people has been shattered. Booker, one of the leading contenders for the Democratic nomination for President has just embraced Ilhan Omar’s despicable slur that Jewish and pro-Israel legislators have dual loyalty to Israel, a deeply offensive anti-Semitic trope meant to attack Jews. Omar has said that Israel has “hypnotized” the world, and accused Israel of buying favor with “Benjamins.” What’s shocking is that Cory Booker not only defends Omar but also refuses to support Israel to this audience in response to the hostile anti-Israel question he was asked.

Sen. Cory Booker could have shown true leadership by calling out Omar’s disgusting anti-Semitism; instead, he chose to attack the most pro-Israel President ever and embrace the dangerous rhetoric of Omar. This disgusting rhetoric is designed to diminish American Jews and delegitimize Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East. It is time for the Jewish community, and both parties, to come together and say with one clear voice: we reject the anti-Semitism of Ilhan Omar, and we will not stand for Cory Booker or any other candidate embracing her positions.

Read RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks' tweet here.