The White House condemned Rep. Cori Bush’s (D-Mo.) “inflammatory” rhetoric on Wednesday after she vowed to retaliate against a prominent pro-Israel lobbying group for supporting her opponent’s successful effort to oust her. her in the primaries.
“As much as I love my job, all they have done is radicalize me, and now they should be afraid,” Bush said in a speech Tuesday night after losing the Democratic primary for St. Louis County prosecutor. Louis, Wesley Bell.
“They are about to see this other Cori, this other side,” she said, adding, “And let me say this: AIPAC, I am coming to destroy your kingdom!”
The United Democracy Project, a super PAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), was a major funder of Bell’s campaign in what became a very expensive and highly controversial primary battle that centered, in part, on his views against Israel and the war in Gaza.
Bush has been among the most vocal critics of Israel and AIPAC in recent months. The “squad” member called the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas “Israel’s ethnic cleansing campaign” and introduced a resolution calling for de-escalation and a ceasefire. just over two weeks following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
Asked about President Biden’s opinion on Bush’s pledge to challenge AIPIAC, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the president condemns this type of “divisive” and “inflammatory” rhetoric.
“Look, the president has always been very clear — and very recently, after the assassination attempt on the last president — about lowering the rhetoric, right? Reducing political rhetoric and the importance of doing so,” Jean-Pierre said Wednesday at the daily press conference. “It’s important – important that we are very careful about what we say. This type of rhetoric is inflammatory, divisive and incredibly unhelpful.”
“We will continue to condemn any kind of political rhetoric in this way, in this sense,” she continued. “And therefore, it is important to be aware of what we say and how we say it. But we cannot have this kind of inflammatory and divisive language in our political discourse.”
Bush’s defeat in Tuesday’s primary comes four years after she unseated an established moderate Democrat, former Rep. Lacy Clay, who represented the district for two decades.
She is the second member of the “squad” to lose the primary this cycle, in a race that centered, in part, on the Israel-Hamas war. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (DN.Y.), who has also spoken out against Israel in recent months, was also unseated in his re-election bid in the primary.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
