Sen. Bob Casey, locked in one of the most closely watched Senate contests in the country, condemned fellow Pennsylvania Democrat Summer Lee over her anti-Israel statement on the anniversary of the October 7 attack on Israel. For the last year, Casey had resisted calls to denounce Lee’s previous anti-Israel remarks and had stood by his endorsement of her.
Casey, who is running for reelection in one of the most closely watched races in the country, blasted comments Lee made Monday as "insensitive and inappropriate." In those remarks, Lee appeared to blame Israel for provoking the Hamas attack on the Jewish state. "This violence did not start on October 7th, but it can end now if we all commit to peace and diplomacy," said Lee, who made no mention of Hamas or the 1,200 Israelis the group slaughtered.
"I could not disagree more with this statement. Hamas is a terrorist organization and its horrific attack which resulted in the murder of 1,200 innocent Israeli civilians must be categorically condemned. Hamas remains a threat to the people of Israel," Casey said.
It’s a stark reversal for Casey, who campaigned extensively for Lee in 2022. Lee, whose district encompasses parts of Pittsburgh, lists Casey as her top endorser on her campaign website.
Casey has faced calls to cut ties with Lee over her criticism of Israel in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack. She has accused Israel of genocide, and was slated to appear at a fundraiser in March for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, an anti-Israel group whose director, Nihad Awad, said he was "happy to see" Hamas attack Israel. In March, more than 40 rabbis said Lee had embraced "openly antisemitic" rhetoric and called on her to return campaign donations from Awad and other CAIR officials.
Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick, who has called on Lee to resign from office over her rhetoric, blasted her and Casey after her latest remarks.
"Someone needs to tell Casey-endorsed Summer Lee that there there [sic] was a ceasefire in place BEFORE 10/7. We need moral clarity. The source of the pain, death and suffering in Israel and Gaza lies at the feet of Hamas. Blaming Israel for the chaos is dangerous & wrong," said McCormick.
Casey’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.