Tipsheet

Did Jamaal Bowman Just Help His Primary Challenger?

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  March 28, 2024 9:15 AM

The Squad is full of some pretty anti-Israel members, even and especially after the October 7 terrorist attack perpetrated by Hamas. As Guy highlighted on Wednesday, Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) had a particularly heinous take that was just recently unearthed. While speaking at a November event, he claimed there was "propaganda" being spread when it comes to the heinous acts of murder, rape, and torture that Hamas carried out. "There’s still no evidence of beheaded babies or raped women, but they still keep using that lie," the congressman claimed. Some of us at Townhall have witnessed and written about the horrific footage from that day, making Bowman's claims even more disturbing. News of Bowman's remarks comes not long after StopAntisemitism named him their "AntiSemite of the Week" while looking to raise support for his primary challenger, Westchester County Executive George Latimer.

Bowman's remarks from that November event aren't the only antisemitic behavior he's recently engaged in. As the entry from StopAntisemitism mentioned, he was also among those members who signed onto calls for a ceasefire, just days after Hamas' attack. 

He also advocated for preserving a mural featuring the deeply antisemitic Minister Louis Farrakhan, who was bestowed the title of Antisemite of the Week in June 2019. 

Back in January, Bowman also excused antisemitic remarks that New York high school basketball players hurled at Jewish players, which forced an end to the game. The event also reportedly turned violent. Jewish players were subject to taunts of "Free Palestine" and "I support Hamas, you f**king Jew."

Bowman's office put out a statement for "Supportive School Communities and Efforts to Build Mutual Understanding," in which he referenced an investigation and in part claimed "we must focus on building restorative school communities that can appropriately support our students through hard moments like these and let investigations take place before jumping to conclusions."

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"As an educator, I understand that young people will make mistakes, even very hurtful ones, but they should have the opportunity to learn and grow from them, and not have a mistake follow them throughout their lives," his statement also read in part. 

"We must do the hard work of listening to one another and building community despite the forces that are driving us apart," it closed with, though it doesn't sound like people screaming such things at Jews look forward to "listening to one another."

Speaking of investigations, the Department of Education announced earlier this month they opened an investigation into the incident. 

The post also notes that Bowman's endorsement from J Street, described as "the controversial and problematic Jewish group," was pulled in January. 

Ever since the footage has surfaced, StopAntisemitism has doubled down on supporting Latimer. "The appalling video featuring Congressman Jamaal Bowman serves as a stark reminder of his long-standing alliance with antisemitism. We urge voters within New York’s 16th district to support George Latimer, his challenger in the upcoming June 25th primary," Executive Director Liora Rez told Townhall in a statement.

That pulled endorsement, as well as comments from the congressman were mentioned by POLITICO on Tuesday morning. While Bowman's office did send a statement, it was very telling that he refused to speak to POLITICO on the record beforehand. As the piece mentioned:

“I’m focused on my votes and other things. I’m not talking,” [Bowman] said. When asked if he still doubted those claims, he added: “I’m not talking about that now. My team will get back to you.”

In a statement after his brief interview with POLITICO, Bowman contradicted his previous remarks. He and his team did not deny that he made them. The “propaganda” comment was one of several comments he’s had to walk back on in recent months, including raising conspiracy theories about the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

“As I said at this rally, what Hamas did on October 7th is a war crime and they must release all the hostages,” he said. “The UN confirmed that Hamas committed rape and sexual violence, a reprehensible fact that I condemn entirely. I also voted yes on Resolution 966, which officially condemns the rape and sexual violence committed by Hamas. So let me be clear, and ensure my words are not twisted: I always stand against sexual violence in all forms and stand for peace for all.”

Multiple reports of Hamas’ sexual violence during Oct. 7 emerged soon after the attack. A number of Bowman’s Democratic colleagues have decried sexual assaults during the attack going back to Oct. 9, when Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) asserted the attack included “the rape and killing of women, along with the murder of children and the elderly.”

Who has endorsed Bowman? Earlier this week, the far-left, anti-Zionist group of IfNotNow made quite the display of endorsing the congressman as well as other Squad members. It's worth reminding that members of the group have been arrested as they demand a ceasefire, including last October at the Cannon House building, when illegal protests turned violent. On Monday, the group released a press release highlighting how "IfNotNow Movement Endorses Five Ceasefire Champions Targeted by AIPAC."

The press release also noted that "IfNotNow Movement members in the five districts overwhelmingly voted to re-endorse these leaders. IfNotNow Movement’s endorsement of the candidates is a key part of the work of the Reject AIPAC coalition, which launched two weeks ago to take on AIPAC and to protect democracy and human rights. AIPAC, which vehemently opposes Palestinian rights, endorsed 109 pro-insurrectionist and 200+ anti-abortion candidates during the 2022 cycle." 

Such a statement leaves out how AIPAC supports Democratic politicians, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).

Several of Bowman's posts and reposts from his political X account in recent days have also been against AIPAC.

A Times of Israel blog post from Andrew Vitelli from earlier this week noted that "the most endangered [Squad member] may be Jamaal Bowman." A opinion piece published by the New York Post on Wednesday declaring that "Voters must end bigoted, lying Dem radical Jamaal ‘Fire Alarm’ Bowman’s terrible political career."