Dem Lawmakers Previously Praised Group with Leader Celebrating Hamas Attacks

(DailyVantage.com) – Antisemitism in the U.S. has seen a staggering rise in recent months following the explosion of the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Middle East caused by the latter’s devastating October 7 attacks, but several lawmakers continue to side with organizations that unabashedly side with the terrorist group Hamas.

One such group is the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), whose head, executive director, and co-founder, Nihad Awad, said that he was “happy to see” the Hamas attack on Israel. The attack was sudden and unexpected and cost the lives of more than 1,200 people, the vast majority of whom were civilians, including women and children.

Awad made the remarks on November 24, during the 16th Annual Convention for Palestine in the U.S. He said he was glad that Hamas and Palestinians were “breaking the siege and throwing down the shackles of their own land and walking free into their land (Israel).”

CAIR’s own website lists a number of U.S. lawmakers that support it, including Independent Arizona Senator Krysten Sinema, who has been a recipient of campaign donations from high-ranking members of the organization throughout the years. A former Democrat, Sinema, has also applauded CAIR’s work, calling it an effort to work towards a “more just society.”

Another lawmaker that has previously expressed support for CAIR is Democratic New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, who called the organization’s work “inspiring” as well as “supportive (and) responsive.” Menendez also happens to be facing federal bribery charges filed by the Department of Justice.

Vice President Kamala Harris, during her tenure as senator, was also one of several lawmakers who wrote personalized notes to CAIR, thanking them for their work. Democratic senators Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Tammy Baldwin of Michigan have also heaped praise on CAIR in the past, but have since stepped back and condemned Awad’s recent comments on Hamas’s October 7 attacks.

Meanwhile, the White House, which has listed CAIR as one of the organizations it has partnered with against antisemitism, is seemingly scrubbing its association with the group. A White House spokesperson has released a statement saying that the U.S. government condemns the “shocking, antisemitic statements (made by Awad) in the strongest terms.”

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