Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy and Republican Rep. David Kustoff of Tennessee on Thursday introduced a bill to combat antisemitic hate crimes, with the House minority leader taking aim at the Democratic “Squad” critics of Israel.
“Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, and Cori Bush irresponsibly tried to delegitimize our closest ally in the region, calling it an ‘apartheid state,’” McCarthy said in a statement. “Within days, this same sentiment of bigotry spilled into several major U.S. cities. Graphic videos showed pro-Hamas mobs intentionally target random Americans simply because they were Jewish.”
The bill, titled the Preventing Anti-Semitic Hate Crimes Act, would direct the attorney general to conduct an expedited review of antisemitic hate crimes, issue guidance on increasing awareness of antisemitic hate crimes, and remove the current 10-year maximum penalty for federal hate crimes for offenders with at least one prior conviction. Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced a companion bill in the Senate.
The introduction of the bill came on the same day that Republican leaders issued a rare rebuke of firebrand Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who made repeated comparisons between the Holocaust and wearing masks or requiring vaccines.
DEMOCRATS NERVOUS AND GOP HOPEFUL THAT NEW MEXICO ELECTION IS 2022 BELLWETHER
Earlier this month, Palestinian terror group Hamas fired thousands of rockets into Israel, and the country responded with deadly strikes in Gaza. That seemed to prompt an increase in attacks on Jewish people and a spike in reported antisemitic hate crimes, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
The FBI’s 2019 hate crime statistics found that 60% of the 1,650 religious-based hate crime offenses reported by law enforcement were anti-Jewish. Religious bias accounted for 21% of the 7,103 single-bias hate crime incidents reported that year.
McCarthy drew attention to the far-left wing of the Democratic Party, which is sympathetic to the Palestinian plight, chipping away at the longtime solid bipartisan support for Israel.
“Socialist Democrats continue to endorse and promote repulsive anti-Semitic rhetoric, while Speaker Pelosi and Senator Schumer refuse to unambiguously condemn the unhinged statements from members of their own party,” McCarthy said. “In the face of rising anti-Semitism, we cannot turn a blind eye. Jewish Americans deserve not just rhetorical support, but legislative action ensuring that perpetrators of these vile attacks are prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The bill marks a second major congressional effort this year to address hate crimes. Last week, the House passed a bill intended to address hate crimes directed at Asian Americans.
