RJC Speaks Out

• Last Friday, the RJC released a statement concerning Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the freshman Republican Congresswoman from Georgia who has been in the news for her appalling comments in the past about Jews. One of her social media posts from 2018 recently surfaced, in which she blamed a deadly forest fire in California on “Rothschild Inc.” The JTA notes, “Suggesting that the Rothschild family is conspiring to cause damage for profit is a longstanding anti-Semitic conspiracy theory, and one that is baked into the QAnon mythology.”

The RJC’s statement has been viewed by almost 3 million people on Twitter. It reads: 

The Republican Jewish Coalition has always spoken out strongly against antisemitic comments from individuals on both sides of the political aisle, and we do not hesitate to do so again in the case of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

The RJC does not usually get involved in primary races between Republicans, but in 2020 we did so twice. First, we took the unprecedented step of supporting the challenger to a Republican incumbent, when we supported Randy Feenstra over Rep. Steve King in Iowa. We were pleased that Feenstra won that race and removed King from the US Congress.

The second time, we supported Greene’s primary opponent, John Cowan, in Georgia. We did so because we found Greene’s past behavior deeply offensive. She repeatedly used offensive language in long online video diatribes, promoted bizarre political conspiracy theories, and refused to admit a mistake after posing for photos with a long-time white supremacist leader. It is unfortunate that she prevailed in her election despite this terrible record.

The RJC has never supported or endorsed Marjorie Taylor Greene. We are offended and appalled by her comments and her actions. We opposed her as a candidate, and we continue to oppose her now. She is far outside the mainstream of the Republican Party, and the RJC is working closely with the House Republican leadership regarding next steps in this matter.

The JTA reported on our statement, noting:

At the time that the RJC backed her opponent, Greene was already controversial because of her apparent embrace of the QAnon movement, which peddles wild conspiracy theories, some with anti-Semitic themes. Brooks said it was too early to say whether the RJC would once again back a primary against Greene, because no one has yet declared whether they would run against her.

• The RJC spoke out on another issue late last week, after reports that White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki declined to condemn the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement that seeks to delegitimize the State of Israel. The RJC statement asked whether President Joe Biden shares the anti-BDS views of candidate Biden: 

Yesterday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked if President Biden agreed with statements from Secretary of State Antony Blinken and from the nominee for US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, opposing the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement. Psaki refused to say if President Biden continues to hold the same view as his Secretary of State, a view he held as a candidate in 2020.

Biden's views are again in question because he chose to elevate a prominent supporter of economic boycotts of Israel, Maher Bitar, to the extremely sensitive position of National Security Council senior director of intelligence programs. 

Biden's appointment of Bitar and his press secretary's refusal to clarify his stance on BDS call into question whether President Biden shares the anti-BDS views of candidate Biden. He must speak out swiftly to reassure the American people that he does not support the antisemitic BDS movement, and to explain why he has given a supporter of the antisemitic BDS movement such a sensitive security post in his administration.