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RJC is proud to endorse:

Rep. Michael McCaul (TX-10)

Rep. David Kustoff (TN-8)

Rep. Max Miller (OH-7)

These three patriots have been stalwart supporters of strengthening the US-Israel alliance and leaders in the fight against rising antisemitism. Learn more about them here.

You can support the re-election of these outstanding members of the US House at the RJC PAC Portal.

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Bookmark the RJC PAC Portal and be sure to use that link whenever you’re making a political donation in this crucial election cycle!

Saeed Ghasseminejad, senior Iran advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, gives ten strong reasons why President Joe Biden's $6 billion giveaway to the Iranian regime is a terrible idea. They include:

1. Encouragement of further hostage-taking. Tehran’s regime interprets the success of the hostage-for-cash scheme as validation of its strategy. Prominent officials, such as Mosen Rezaei, an advisor to Iran’s supreme leader and the former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), have been championing hostage-taking as a tactic to replenish the regime’s finances.

... 4. Incomplete hostage release. Despite the substantial financial concession, some hostages, such as Shahab Dalili, a US permanent resident, and Jamshid Sharmahd, a long-time resident of California, remain unreleased. Responding to a question about why Dalili was not part of the deal, a State Department spokesperson said that Dalili had not been designated as a “wrongfully detained” person. Dalili, who has been in prison for seven years, was convicted by Tehran for the trumped-up charge of “aiding and abetting a hostile nation,” likely referring to the United States.

... 8. Emboldening other hostile forces. Currently, Russia holds Americans hostage and China has shown its willingness to follow suit. Seen as a sign of weakness, the agreement may encourage adversarial nations and entities to capture Americans in order to exert influence over Washington.

Read the whole list here.

The Washington Free Beacon has more bad news about Iran. Adam Kredo reports:

US military leaders earlier this month hosted a former top Iranian official who came under fire last year for bragging about the hardline regime’s efforts to assassinate American leaders.

US Strategic Command (STRATCOM) tapped Hussein Mousavian, a former member of Iran’s nuclear negotiating team who works as a Middle East security and nuclear policy specialist at Princeton University, to headline its 2023 Deterrence Symposium, a high-level powwow that brought the former Iranian official shoulder-to-shoulder with America’s top military brass.

..."Mousavian helped lead the murderous Iranian regime’s efforts to obtain nuclear weapons so it could threaten the United States and our allies with annihilation," said Rep. Jim Banks, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. "Now he’s in semi-retirement at Princeton as a full time propagandist for the IRGC. Inviting him to spread lies at a US military seminar is insanity."

Zach Kessel writes at National Review:

The House Foreign Affairs Committee held a roundtable Tuesday with family members of the 13 US servicemen killed in the August 26, 2021, Abbey Gate bombing near the Kabul International Airport. The overwhelming sentiment among all the Gold Star parents was that President Joe Biden and the rest of his administration owe them answers about what happened during the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal.

When the bodies of Marine Corps Lance Corporal David Espinoza, Marine Corps Sergeant Nicole Gee, Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Darin Taylor Hoover, Army Staff Sergeant Ryan Knauss, Marine Corps Corporal Hunter Lopez, Marine Corps Lance Corporal Rylee McCollum, Marine Corps Lance Corporal Dylan R. Merola, Marine Corps Lance Corporal Kareem Nikoui, Marine Corps Corporal Daegan William-Tyeler Page, Marine Corps Sergeant Johanny Rosario, Marine Corps Corporal Humberto Sanchez, Marine Corps Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz, and Navy Hospital Corpsman Max Soviak arrived at Dover Air Force Base, the consequences of the White House’s handling of the final days of America’s presence in Afghanistan were made clear. And the fallen soldiers’ families feel the Biden administration has not owned up to its failures.

...Ultimately, the Gold Star parents view their children’s deaths for what they were: avoidable. And they would like to see the Biden administration held accountable for the steps it took that led to such needless tragedy.

Further reading:

Daily Wire: Pentagon Officials Worked To Finalize Climate Plan During Botched Afghanistan Withdrawal, Emails Show

President Joe Biden and his administration bungled the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, and American lives were lost. Two years later, no one has taken responsibility for this disaster and the Gold Star families of the 11 US Marines, one sailor, and one soldier who were killed that day still have no closure.

The Gold Star families - and the American people - deserve answers. The people responsible for this mess must be held accountable. Ultimately, the buck stops with Joe Biden. Let him know that you want him to meet with the Gold Star families and take responsibility for what happened two years ago in Kabul.

TELL PRESIDENT BIDEN TO MEET WITH GOLD STAR FAMILIES!

Robert Malley, who was President Joe Biden's envoy to Iran, lost his security clearance in April and has since taken up a post at Princeton University. The State Department has been very tight-lipped about the reasons for Malley's sudden departure. An Iranian media outlet broke the story and appears to have published a copy of the State Department memo, marked "Sensitive But Unclassified," informing Malley that his security clearance was being suspended.

The Washington Free Beacon reports:

Embattled US-Iran envoy Robert Malley had his security clearance and State Department credentials pulled in late April after "serious security concerns" were internally raised about his handling of sensitive information, personal conduct, and use of classified networks, according to a leaked letter sent by the State Department's security division.

Government investigators "received information regarding you that raises serious security concerns and can be disqualifying under" top-secret security guidelines, according to the letter, which was published over the weekend by the Tehran Times, an Iranian state-controlled media outlet.

The letter indicates that, contrary to Malley's public comments on the matter, the now-suspended official knew as early as April exactly why his security clearance was revoked. The letter details how Malley may have breached three separate security guidelines meant to protect classified information. Malley was put on unpaid leave earlier this year after it was revealed that his security clearance was revoked and the matter turned over to the FBI for investigation.

... "The letter looks authentic to me," Gabriel Noronha, a former State Department adviser on Iran, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul (R-TX) told Politico that he was deeply concerned that the Tehran Times, "the Iranian regime’s mouthpiece," appeared to have sensitive information about Malley "while Congress is kept in the dark."

Passing of Elissa Czuker

The Republican Jewish Coalition notes with deep sadness the untimely passing last Friday of RJC Board of Directors member Elissa Czuker of Beverly Hills, California, beloved wife of fellow RJC Leader Edward Czuker.

Elissa devoted herself to her family, her community, and the charitable causes that were meaningful to her. Together with Edward, she gave strength and vibrancy to many communal organizations. We will miss her voice and counsel on the RJC Board of Directors and our thoughts are with her husband Edward and their children. May they be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

Penn. considers an earlier primary election day, partly to avoid voting on Passover

Pennsylvania State Senator David Argall, a Republican, has introduced legislation to change Pennsylvania's primary from April 23 to March 19. An earlier primary, before presidential candidates have all but locked down the delegates they need to win the nomination, would give Pennsylvania more influence in the primary process. Lawmakers are also motivated by the fact that April 23 is the first day of Passover.

More countries intend to open embassies in Jerusalem

According to news reports this week, Papua New Guinea is set to open its embassy in Jerusalem next week. Sierra Leone has announced plans to open an embassy in Jerusalem and Paraguay announced recently that it would reopen its embassy in the Israeli capital, too. Currently, the US, Guatemala, Honduras and Kosovo have embassies in Jerusalem. Hungary and Fiji are expected to announce embassy moves in the coming months as well.

Contact information for our offices can be found on our website. Please visit us online for the latest RJC news, to see details of upcoming events, and to donate to the RJC. Read past editions of this newsletter here.