AIPAC, Democratic Majority for Israel, etc. defend Menendez. While Menendez was forced to give up the gavel for his all-important Senate Foreign Relations Committee, his replacement is Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin – perhaps the only Democrat more unabashedly pro-Israel than Menendez
By Ben Samuels, reposted from Ha’aretz
Despite the rapidly increasing calls for U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez to resign amid his recent corruption charges, Washington’s pro-Israel establishment appears to be remaining in the New Jersey senator’s corner.
Menendez – the pro-Israel stalwart who until last week chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee – has enjoyed a decades-long relationship with AIPAC and the pro-Israel lobby. This positioning, combined with his chairmanship of the crucial committee, have led him to be among the most influential senators concerning Israel policy.
To that end, pro-Israel megadonors from both political parties like Sheldon and Miriam Adelson, Haim Saban, Mortimer Zuckerman and Seth Klarman donated more than $1.5 million dollars to his 2015 defense fund aimed at combatting unrelated corruption charges.
While no megadonors have yet to involve themselves in Menendez’ defense fund this time around, pro-Israel organizations appear to be bucking the trend of Senate Democrats (more than half of whom have called on Menendez to resign), simply calling for due process.
“The pro-Israel community deeply appreciates Senator Menendez’s leadership in strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship. Like all Americans, he deserves the presumption of innocence,” said AIPAC spokesperson Marshall Wittmann.
Menendez has been among the Democrats to voice concerns in recent years about Israel’s increasingly politicized standing in Washington, as well as its rightward shift at home, forecasting Israel’s evolving positions within the Democratic Party.
Democratic Majority for Israel, founded in 2019 by pollster Mark Mellman in hopes of stifling the Democratic Party’s progressive left flank holding opposing views from Menendez, offered comments similar to AIPAC.
“Senator Menendez has been a leader on foreign policy, a champion of the U.S.-Israel relationship and a steadfast advocate for the people of New Jersey. Like every American, he is entitled to a full and fair legal process,” said DMFI spokesperson Rachel Rosen.
NORPAC, a pro-Israel political action committee whose members are primarily in the tri-state area, has long been one of Menendez’ most significant fundraisers, raising more than $500,000 for his 2018 reelection and at least $114,510 for his reelection bid next year.
NORPAC President Ben Chouake strongly defended Menendez in an interview with CNBC, saying “we’ve known the senator for about 30 years, which is a pretty long time.”
“We’ve always been impressed with his knowledge and his work ethic, and his integrity. He is probably the most knowledgeable person in the country on foreign affairs,” Chouake continued, adding “we are very much believers of innocent until proven guilty.
The Jewish Democratic Council of America, meanwhile, declined to comment.
While Menendez was forced to give up the gavel for his all-important committee, pro-Israel groups will undoubtedly be reassured that his replacement for the duration of this session of Congress is retiring Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin – perhaps the only Democrat more unabashedly pro-Israel than Menendez.
Cardin and Menendez were two of the four Senate Democrats to vote against the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Like Menendez’ potential departure, Cardin’s retirement will create a void within the Democrats’ pro-Israel base at a time when attitudes to the U.S.-Israel relationship are rapidly evolving, both within his own party and as a bipartisan issue.
Another long-time favorite of AIPAC, Cardin used his pulpit to combat critics of Israel both foreign and domestic – including broadly linking many criticisms of Israel and Zionism to antisemitism. To that end, he sponsored controversial legislation meant to punish companies who boycott Israeli settlements.
That bill provoked opposition from several of his fellow Jewish Democrats and leading civil rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, over concerns that it would limit American citizens’ freedom of speech.
Unlike Menendez, who has been reticent to publicly criticize Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul despite his explicit warnings about including far-right extremists in the coalition, Cardin has been among the most vocal critics of the plans to enfeeble Israel’s judiciary.
Ben Samuels is the U.S. correspondent for Haaretz, based out of Washington, D.C.
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