An AOC-endorsed Democrat congressional candidate celebrated now-ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's defeat with an "antisemitic" jab, snidely calling the Republican's sitdown meeting with Orthodox Jewish leaders "a waste of everyone's time."
In a since-deleted X post Tuesday evening, former U.S. Rep. Mondaire Jones triggered a wave of backlash for complaining about the ex-U.S. House of Representatives head previously breaking bread with Hasidic Jews in New York's Hudson Valley. Home to the largest Jewish population per capita of any county in the United States, the area is situated in the House swing district (NY-17) where Jones is running to reclaim his congressional seat and "fully" expects to win strong support from Jewish constituents.
"Well this was a waste of everyone's time," Jones captioned a picture of a yarmulke-clad McCarthy enjoying fruit at Sukkot, a weeklong Torah-commanded harvest holiday that commemorates the protection God provided for the pilgrimaging Israelites.
Why does Mondaire Jones have a problem with Kevin McCarthy spending time with Jews? pic.twitter.com/3gvBOb1f7c
— Matthew Foldi (@MatthewFoldi) October 3, 2023
There, McCarthy was seated alongside New York's incumbent U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, whom Jones is challenging.
In the past months, McCarthy has pilgrimaged to court support from the vital voting bloc in Rockland County, who are largely credited with aiding Lawler's victory last election cycle. Touring the all-Hasidic hamlet of New Square, McCarthy asked for the mayor to endorse Lawler for Congress, but the village was indebted to the Republican's Democrat rival. Although unsuccessful in securing a campaign endorsement, McCarthy assured the Rebbe he'd return regardless and be a friend to the Jewish enclave.
"Speaker McCarthy kept his word and he reached out the us to arrange for this meeting," Rabbi Izzy Spitzer, the mayor of New Square, told the Hamodia daily newspaper. "He spoke emotionally about how he is a friend of the community, and how he will push for the passage of Parental Rights in Education Act which will give parents greater say in their children's education."
Hoping the Jewish constituency boosts his House bid, Jones has bristled before at Lawler's efforts to win the Jewish vote, which could prove decisive in the competitive contest, a pivotal 2024 race that may ultimately help determine the majority.
Many took offense to Jones's comment and voiced outrage over the progressive's "insulting" statement.
"A man who wants to represent these Jews in the United States Congress is insulting them instead of seeking their vote," reacted Joel M. Petlin, superintendent of the special-education Kiryas Joel Village Union Free School District (UFSD), a small Hasidic village in Hudson Valley that primarily serves disabled children of the Satmar sect. Petlin added: "Congratulations to @MondaireJones on finding the most Antisemitic way to celebrate the defeat of #SpeakerMcCarthy."
"This disgusting post is insulting to Jewish people and every person of faith. Meeting with religious leaders is critical to understanding the needs of our communities," remarked U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a Democrat congressman representing New Jersey's neighboring 5th congressional district. "This antisemitic rhetoric is deeply concerning," Gottheimer further declared.
"This was not a waste of time. It is never a waste of time to meet with religious leaders. Additionally, I doubt your choice of religion to highlight here was coincidental," U.S. Rep. Jared Evan Moskowitz, a Democrat congressman whose Florida district located in the Greater Miami area has one of the highest concentrations of Jewish Americans, responded directly to Jones.
Seemingly seeking damage control in the ill-received post's aftermath, Jones issued a follow-up press statement Tuesday clarifying that he purportedly meant that "Kevin McCarthy has repeatedly wasted the time of Hasidic leaders in the Lower Hudson Valley. He has never delivered for communities in Rockland and will continue to fail to deliver for Rocklanders because he's no longer Speaker. By contrast, I have delivered for all communities in Rockland and will continue that track record upon my return to Congress." (Via senior political reporter Jacob N. Kornbluh at The Forward, a New York City-based Jewish news publication):
On the defensive, Jones sent an identical copy-paste defense to Jewish Insider, defending his criticism of the McCarthy meeting and suggesting that critics, who denounced Jones's commentary as disrespectful, had distorted his message's intentions.
Then, on Wednesday, Jones spoke out from his X account, faulting the post for being "too open to misinterpretation."
"My point was to communicate that Kevin McCarthy, and by extension Mike Lawler, cannot possibly deliver for communities in Rockland because he's no longer Speaker," the Democrat claimed. "Regrettably, I did not make this point clear enough, and so I have deleted the tweet. I am proud of my record of combating antisemitism in Congress and after Congress. In a time of rising anti-semitism, we must be crystal clear where we stand: I continue to be a strong ally of our diverse Jewish communities."
Pushing back, Petlin said Jones's sentiment was "correctly interpreted by many of his supporters as Antisemitic, because it was."
"In a time of rising Antisemitism, it's mindboggling that a candidate for Congress would post such an inappropriate comment, insulting the people he wants to represent," Petlin countered, calling on Jones to apologize to the district's Jewish community.
Pointing to Jones's association with the far-left Squad, Lawler stated that he said "the quiet part out loud." Though "shocking," his remarks are "not surprising for a guy who pals around with anti-Semites like Pramila Jayapal, Jamaal Bowman, and the rest of the Squad," Lawler spoke of the Squad-allied Jones, who once won U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's endorsement.
Lawler fires back at Jones in stmt to me/@J_Insider: “Mondaire Jones tweeted the quiet part out loud. His comments are shocking but not surprising for a guy who pals around with anti-Semites like Pramila Jayapal, Jamaal Bowman, and the rest of the Squad.” https://t.co/N8QDOTmSww https://t.co/vWGCRqSAxr pic.twitter.com/wwQMhXvQm4
— Marc Rod (@marcrod97) October 4, 2023
Jones is favored for the party's nomination in next year's June 25 primary face-off against Democrat thoroughbred Liz Whitmer Gereghty, the younger sister of Michigan's Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Of course, Gereghty weighed in as well on the Jones pile-on:
In a sharply worded statement to JI, Liz Whitmer Gereghty (@LizforNY), a top primary rival to Jones, weighs in on his tweet: “If Mondaire Jones didn't realize that his tweet could be viewed as antisemitic and elicit vile comments in response, I would question his judgment.” https://t.co/5k3OvY1Ezd pic.twitter.com/o8RHA6pDo9
— Matthew Kassel (@matthewkassel) October 4, 2023
Join the conversation as a VIP Member