Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., recently criticized the growing influence of democratic socialists within the Democratic Party, stating that they are not Democrats but socialists who want to hijack the party. This sparked a response from Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., who confused Gottheimer with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Confusion and Clarification
Lee accused Gottheimer of signing bombs and voting to drop them, apparently mixing him up with Shapiro, who had signed an artillery shell bound for Ukraine during President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s 2024 visit to Pennsylvania. Gottheimer clarified the mistake, pointing out that Lee had confused him with the other Jewish guy named Josh.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., jumped in to defend Lee, but Gottheimer turned the accusation back on both lawmakers by pointing out that they had voted for a $60.8 billion Ukraine aid package before Shapiro signed the Ukraine-bound artillery shell.
Broader Implications
This exchange comes as Gottheimer has increasingly accused his own party of applying a double standard to antisemitism. He argued in a May New York Times opinion piece that Democrats routinely condemn antisemitism from the political right but are too often silent when it emerges from the far left.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
