AIPAC Dumps $8.5 Million in Dark Money to Unseat Rep. Cori Bush
WASHINGTON, DC, AUGUST 7, 2024—For the second time in the 2024 primary elections, the anti-Palestinian group AIPAC has dumped historic amounts of dark money to unseat a progressive Black member of Congress who dared to oppose genocide: first, Rep. Jamaal Bowman, and now, Rep. Cori Bush, who has been one of the strongest champions of Palestinian human rights.
AIPAC’s dark money amounts to foreign election interference on behalf of the apartheid state of Israel, which the International Court of Justice has ruled is plausibly committing genocide against the Palestinian people. As an anti-Palestinian lobby group, AIPAC actively circulates disinformation to cover up Israel’s acts of genocide.
Rep. Bush is one of only three members of Congress to earn an “A” grade on the USCPR Action congressional scorecard. AIPAC poured in $8.5 million dollars to unseat her, running ads relying on anti-Black tropes as it also did for Rep. Bowman.
“When I hear ‘democracy is on the line,’ I see Rep. Cori Bush, who fought fiercely for human rights for all, pushed out of Congress solely because AIPAC targeted her with millions in dark money and racist attacks,” said Ahmad Abuznaid, USCPR Action Executive Director. “This amounts to foreign election interference. AIPAC is resorting to such extreme tactics because of its genocidal anti-Palestinian ideology. Like Cori, we’ll keep fighting the U.S.-Israeli genocide machine at every turn.”
The support of U.S. Democratic voters for Palestinian rights is undeniable. Polling results show that 83% of Democratic voters support a permanent ceasefire, and 70% of Democratic voters support halting U.S. military funding to Israel if Israel rejects the proposed ceasefire deal, as Israel has continuously done. Countless Americans have protested in the streets and voted “uncommitted” on their ballots to voice their dissent, and they want their tax dollars to fund care for their communities like healthcare, housing, and climate justice instead of arming Israel.
The genocide in Palestine has driven a wedge in the Democratic Party, as over half of congressional Democrats boycotted the speech of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Capitol on July 24, 2024. Meanwhile, Biden’s decision to step down from the presidential race was largely related to his unpopularity after funding Israel’s ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people.
The time to build power for liberation is now, ahead of the Democratic National Convention where tens of thousands will march to raise the people’s demands. USCPR Action calls upon the Biden administration, the Harris-Walz campaign, and members of Congress to listen to Democratic voters who are overwhelmingly demanding an immediate arms embargo to halt U.S. weapons and military funding to Israel.
ABOUT USCPR ACTION
The US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action (USCPR Action) is a diverse movement of Palestinians and their allies who advocate for Palestinian rights and a transformation of U.S. policy on Palestine. That means ending U.S. military funding to apartheid Israel, once and for all, and advocating for justice and freedom for all people. USCPR Action is a project of Tides Advocacy, a 501(c)(4) organization. This partnership allows USCPR Action to expand its advocacy and political work, by advocating for legislation, endorsing political candidates, holding elected officials accountable, and building power across movements. USCPR Action will work to advance Palestinian rights as a non-negotiable part of the progressive agenda in the U.S., and build unprecedented support for Palestinian rights in Congress.