A member of the House Democrats' progressive "Squad" is under fire for hosting fundraiser with extremist Muslim leader who praised Oct. 7 terrorist attacks on Israel.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., hosted the fundraiser this week with Council on American–Islamic Relations Executive Director Nihad Awad at a private residence in Fairfax, Virginia, the New York Post reported Saturday.
Awad had been condemned for his antisemitic remarks by President Joe Biden's administration, which was forced to remove CAIR from its National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism after Awad praised for the Hamas terrorists who raped, murdered, and took Israeli hostages Oct. 7, 2023.
Awad said in December he "was happy to see" to Hamas terrorists slaughter Israelis, saying "the people of Gaza have the right to self-defense."
The White House was forced to severe ties with Awad's CAIR, a group many had long warned was a breeding ground for antisemitism and domestic terrorists.
"We condemn these shocking, antisemitic statements in the strongest terms," White House spokesman Andrew Bates said of Awad's December remarks, the Post reported.
"The horrific, brutal terrorist attacks committed by Hamas on Oct. 7 were, as President Biden said, 'abhorrent' and represent 'unadulterated evil.'"
But this did not stop Bowman — one of the most radical leftists in Congress — from sharing the fundraiser with the condemned Awad. Bowman has been a vocal supporter of the Hamas-led Gazans, suggesting Israel is committing war crimes in its effort to return hostages taken Oct. 7.
Israeli officials have long told Newsmax the hostages were taken by Hamas terrorists as a part of a long-prepared plan to use them as human shields against Israel's retaliation and as leverage to inspire anti-Israel sentiment worldwide to order to pressure Israel into giving the Hamas terrorist group an official Palestinian state in Gaza.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is planning to spend millions opposing Bowman's radical House reelection bid with ads slated to start soon, but Bowman is defiantly using the opposition to him to campaign for more funds.
"As a direct result of his call for a Gaza ceasefire, AIPAC has vowed to spend $100 million against progressive members of Congress — and Jamaal is their top target," a flyer for the Bowman event read, according to the Post.
Westchester County Executive George Latimer is opposing Bowman in the New York Democrat primary and has the support of AIPAC and moderate Democrats.
The incumbent Bowman is trailing in some polls but the race is expected to be close, despite Bowman's ties to antisemitic leaders, according to the Post.
Awad posted to Facebook about Wednesday's fundraiser:
"Dear Friends in Northern Virginia, Maryland and DC area.
"This evening at 7pm we have a fundraiser for Congresman Jamal Bowman, a staunch defender of Palestinian rights and also the target of AIPAC and it's affiliates.
"If you can come and donate whatever you can, send me a private message, I will share the address with you."
The Post's requests for comment to Bowman's representatives had not yet elicited a response.
Bowman has had a controversial time in the House. He once breathlessly shouted down Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., in the halls of Congress for seeking to help secure schools, and he also was investigated for pulling a Capitol fire alarm in an effort to obstruct a House vote. Bowman, a former school administrator who should know the dangers of pulling a false fire alarm, plead out of accountability despite obstructing an official vote in Congress — a charge many Jan. 6 defendants faced.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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