Pro-Palestinian influence at center of congressional bribery allegations
An alleged bid to get a freshman congresswoman to adopt pro-Palestinian stances is at the center of a bribery scandal dating back to 2018.
Rep. Marie Newman, a Chicago-area Democrat, is under investigation by the Office of Congressional Ethics for allegedly promising Iymen Chehade, a Palestinian-American academic, a job on her congressional staff if he agreed not to run against her in a primary.
The Daily Beast on Thursday reported on an email from Chehade in which he outlines his conditions for assuming a role on her staff, should she be elected in 2020. Chehade requested a role as a foreign policy adviser with an emphasis on the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
The October 2018 email asks Newman to “commit” to a number of Israel-critical and pro-Palestinian postures, including opposing legislation targeting the boycott Israel movement, opposing defense funding to Israel in addition to funds that are required by law and ending Israel’s detention of Palestinian minors.
Read more: JTA