Pelosi has 513,949 reasons to make Omar apologize for “Benjamin” comment
#Benjamins #ProIsraelPACS #BuyingCongress No wonder #NancyPelosiwas so quick to hammer Congresswoman #IhlanOmar to apologize over her accurate claims that the pro-Israel lobby buys influence in the U.S. Congress through millions in donations “Benjamins” (100 dollar bills). Here’s the list:
By Ray Hanania
This week, Congresswoman Ihkan Omar made a political comment about the influence pro-Israel groups like AIPAC, the sinister pro-Israel PAC, has on members of the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate through campaign funding donations, she referenced as “Benjamins.”
Immediately, leaders of the Democratic Party including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi pressured Omar to apologize and pro-Israel extremists in the biased American mainstream news media, the Republican Party and the Democratic Party falsely accused Omar of “anti-Semitism.”
It’s funny that pro-Israel activists can solicit funds for the “Jewish State” but are quick to denounce anyone who suggests that they are donating their funds to influence how members of Congress vote on issues facing Israel.
The leading attack dog for Israel, a foreign country, was Republican Congressman Kevin McCarthy, from California.
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According to the Open Secrets website which monitors campaign contributions in the US, last year alone McCarthy received $33,200 in pro-Israel political donations. Such donations were topped by anti-Arab Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke, who received $226,690 from supporters of Israel. In 2016, McCarthy received $58,250 from pro-Israel groups, while the largest donation that year went to Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois who received $289,729.
McCarthy earns his keep as a lapdog for Israel, receiving $46,275 in 2014, $22,750 in 2012 and $14,150 in 2010. He got nothing in 2008, because that was his first term and the pro-Israel lobbyists don’t like to hand out big cash donations without knowing up front that an American politician is willing to compromise their ethics, undermine the rule of law and turn their backs on human rights to defend a foreign country like Israel. All told, McCarthy has received $175,625 from pro-Israel lobbyists, which is a lot of Benjamins.
But McCarthy’s California colleague isn’t much better. Here is a list of funds Pelosi received from the pro-Israel PACs including from AIPAC:
Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.
Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 at the Daily Southtown and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began writing in 1975 publishing The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper (2004-2007).
Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues as Special US Correspondent for the Arab News ArabNews.com, at TheArabDailyNews.com, and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday, the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronical, and Arlington Heights Daily Herald.
Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.
His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.
Hanania is the US Special Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper, covering Middle East and Arab American issues. He writes for the Southwest News newspaper group writing on mainstream American issues.
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