With their anti-Israel remarks on full display, Squad members have been earning primary challengers. Earlier this month we covered Reps. Summer Lee (D-PA) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN), with Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) possibly getting one as well. Now, Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) looks to have one as well, Wesley Bell, a Soros-funded prosecutor.
Bell felt so passionate about Bush's response to Hamas' October 7 terrorist attack against Israel that he dropped his Senate campaign against Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) to challenge the Squad member.
While he still spoke out against Hawley, mentioning how he was supposedly in the best position to beat the incumbent, Bell also mentioned that he's heard about fellow Democrats around the state saying he's needed to challenge Bush as "one refrain above all else" he's heard. "'We need you in Washington, but St. Loui s needs you in the House of Representatives,'" is that message he said he's heard.
In taking the first question about why he made the switch, Bell spoke to how "our world is in a dangerous place and we need steady and effective leadership" which "we're not getting in the 1st District."
As Bell took more questions, a reporter spoke to concerns that even fellow Democrats have raised issue with when it comes to Bush's response to that terrorist attack, asking Bell what he made of those comments.
"Is that the stance the Democratic Party should adopt right now," the reporter also, who also made reference to Bell's own comments that "our world is in a dangerous place" and wanted to know what Bell made of her comments.
According to Bell, "it's very clear from responses from Democrats from local government all the way to D.C. that that is not what Democrats feel is the appropriate response, and understanding this unique place that we are with the world literally on fire, I think we need to make certain that we are providing that effective leadership, not only in our district, but in D.C. and the world stage."
Later still, when asked another question about why he was challenging Bush and her leadership in particular, Bell in part mentioned Israel on his own, as he spoke to the kind of leadership that was needed "in times like these when we look around the world with our democratic allies in the Ukraine, our democratic allies in Israel, looking for ways to bring about peace and supporting our allies, we need folks in Washington, D.C. that are going to work together, that are going to stand together, but also be effective and build that consensus."
When asked by another reporter about if aid for Israel would be conditional "on them altering their behavior," Bell responded "I think we have to stand with our allies, and Israel has always been an ally," adding "we always want to keep the door open for a two-state solution." Bell then went further than Bush has gone in calling out Hamas, also responding that "we cannot, we cannot give aid and comfort to terrorist organizations, and Hamas is a terrorist organization, and Israel has the right to defend themselves."
Bell also spoke to how he himself was at a kibbutz in 2017 when then President Donald Trump announced the embassy was being moved to Jerusalem, and that he himself was shown the bomb shelters that people have approximately 10 seconds to reach when sirens go off. A short time after his visit, Bell shared, the sirens had gone off, though the Iron dome deflected them. It's worth reminding that Bush, just like other Squad members have done, voted against supporting the Iron dome.
This is a big deal. Wesley Bell (D) is a progressive Soros funded prosecutor. Bell was running a longshot race for #MOSen but he clearly had enough of #MO01 Rep. Cori Bush's antisemitism & general insanity so he's decided to primary her & run as a non-antisemitic progressive. https://t.co/u1dUs9P6BV
— RRH Elections (@RRHElections) October 30, 2023
The guy is a tenacious campaigner. Beat a 6 term incumbent prosecutor to get his current position. Knocked on doors, got the grass roots out, put the signs up etc. The Jewish community which is large in the district will not vote for Bush. His chances will be good.
— Rob Goldson (@rgoldson) October 31, 2023
That Bell has backing from Soros may still raise concerns, though. As Townhall has covered, the pro-Hamas crowd that took to illegally protesting in the Cannon House building earlier this month was funded by Soros-backed groups.
The primary challenge was just one of the reasons why the congresswoman was trending over X on Monday. The Israel War Room account also called her out for a claim to her official X account that her resolution calling for a ceasefire called out Hamas.
Earlier this month, Bush signed onto a resolution with other Squad members that they then promoted to their own social media accounts. As the Israel War Room's post also indicates, Bush was one of nine House Democrats to vote against a resolution last Thursday supporting Israel and condemning Hamas for the attack.
Bush's post about her supposed resolution has since been added with context Community Notes, which uses her own resolution as proof she didn't even mention Hamas.
.@repcori is a liar. Her resolution didn't mention Hamas at all. It didn't mention the hostages at all.
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) October 30, 2023
Rep Cori voted against the House resolution supporting Israel and condemning Hamas.
Rep Cori Bush (and the rest of the Hamas Caucus) doesn't give a damn about Israeli lives. https://t.co/3DPeJMiMhp pic.twitter.com/4emplfKSvF
This month, I cosponsored a resolution condemning Hamas for hostage-taking and urging their immediate release.
— Congresswoman Cori Bush (@RepCori) October 30, 2023
We must ensure the safe return of all hostages and the protection of Palestinian and Israeli civilians.
In addition to promoting her resolution over X, Bush also used her official account on Sunday night to spread anti-Israel narratives, in this case that our ally in the Middle East was partaking in "ethnic cleansing."
The repost received quite the strong reaction, as our friends at Twitchy pointed out. Just over 24 hours later, there's over 5,000 replies taking issue with her claims. A common refrain in the replies and quoted reposts was that the very thing Bush is accusing Israel have has been done by Hamas, and with a disturbing level of barbarity.
More details of extremely disturbing accounts of what Hamas subjected their victims to continue to come out.
We can’t be silent about Israel’s ethnic cleansing campaign.
— Congresswoman Cori Bush (@RepCori) October 30, 2023
Babies, dead.
Pregnant women, dead.
Elderly, dead.
Generations of families, dead.
Millions of people in Gaza with nowhere to go being slaughtered.
The U.S. must stop funding these atrocities against Palestinians. https://t.co/IlhoZvDD3P
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