A pro-Republican super PAC is going after a group of first-term House Democrats for not condemning anti-Semitic rhetoric from far-left members of Congress, particularly after one dismissed the party's fringier members as "doing what is right for their districts."
The Congressional Leadership Fund sent a release Tuesday condemning freshman Democratic representatives Lauren Underwood (Ill.), Abigail Spanberger (Va.), Dean Phillips (Minn.), Elissa Slotkin (Mich.), and Haley Stevens (Mich.) for not having the "backbone" to condemn language from Democrats like Reps. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) or Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.), both of whom have been repeatedly mired in anti-Semitic controversies. Tlaib's latest: Making historically illiterate remarks about Palestinian Arabs and the creation of Israel.
While media attention has focused on new members like Omar, Tlaib, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), it was Democrats like Underwood, Spanberger, Phillips, Slotkin, and Stevens who flipped the House majority. All five defeated Republican incumbents in 2018, making them top GOP targets for defeat in 2020.
Slotkin told reporters on Friday that members like Ocasio-Cortez were not who helped win the House.
"There's been an overwhelming focus on a small number of members in our caucus who did not flip seats, who did not help win the House, who are doing what is right for their districts, but who don't represent our districts, or at least my district," Slotkin said.
In its release about Underwood, the CLF took her to task for taking Omar "at her word" when she claimed to apologize for accusing pro-Israel politicians of being paid off by Jewish lobbyists and once tweeting that Israel had "hypnotized the world."
The CLF sent similar messages about the four other members following Slotkin's comments.
"If Congresswoman Underwood won't condemn outright bigotry, how can voters trust her to stand up for anything at all?" CLF spokesman Calvin Moore said in a statement.
The offices of Underwood, Spanberger, Phillips, Slotkin, and Stevens did not return the Washington Free Beacon's requests for comment.