Texas Democratic candidate condemned for comments about ‘prison for American Zionists’ | Texas

A Democratic House candidate in Texas is facing bipartisan condemnation and accusations of anti-Semitism after saying she wanted to turn an immigration detention center into a “prison for American Zionists” if elected – leaving Democrats scrambling to ostracize her from the party and alleging that conservative groups could support her campaign.

Maureen Galindo is running against Johnny Garcia in next week’s Democratic primary for Texas’ 35th Congressional District, which covers part of San Antonio and parts of surrounding counties. The district was once solid blue and is currently represented by a Democrat, but the race remains very competitive after being made much more favorable to the GOP following Texas Republicans’ mid-decade redistricting efforts last summer.

Last week, Galindo wrote on Instagram that if elected to Congress, she would draft a bill declaring Zionism anti-Semitic and “turn the Karnes ICE Detention Center into a prison for American Zionists and former ICE officers for human trafficking.” (It will also be a castration center for pedophiles who will probably be mostly Zionists).”

The next day, Galindo told a local radio station that she was not anti-Semitic, but opposed to “Zionist Jews.” She also said Garcia and others supported by pro-Israel groups should be “tried for treason.”

Democrats say a mysterious political action committee (Pac), Lead Left Pac, founded less than a month ago and which spent more than $900,000 promoting Galindo, is an attempt by the Republican Party to ensure that its candidate in the district faces a weak opponent in November.

The group, which is the biggest spender in the Democratic primary runoff and has yet to reveal its donors, has invested more than $600,000 in advertising, according to tracking firm AdImpact. Federal campaign finance records show he also spends on mail.

Links to the GOP fundraising website WinRed were removed from its website metadata after Punchbowl News reported on it several weeks ago. The group also ran ads during the Democratic primaries in Pennsylvania and Nebraska earlier this month.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Rep. Suzan DelBene, who chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said in a statement that Galindo’s comments were “extremely dangerous” and “vile” and had “no place in Democratic politics.”

“Accepting and promoting a fringe candidate with anti-Semitic – and extremely dangerous – rhetoric and views in order to win an election is out of line,” they added. “House Republican leaders must immediately stop supporting this anti-Semitic candidacy, cut spending on the race, and forcefully condemn these comments.” »

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democratic representative, called Galindo’s comments “bigotry bullshit and anti-Semitism.” She added that “the donors behind the Republican funding of the Super Pac should be revealed.”

Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Jared Moskowitz said in a joint statement, “If for any reason Maureen Galindo wins…as soon as she is sworn in, we will force a vote to expel her every day she is here.” They added: “Maureen’s callous, anti-Semitic views – including sending Americans to concentration camps – have no place in our party or our country. »

Garcia said Galindo was “pushing conspiracy theories and hateful rhetoric,” adding, “That’s why Republicans are spending to boost her campaign…they see her as the easy opponent to beat in November.” » Texas’ top Democrat, gubernatorial candidate James Talarico, endorsed Garcia and told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that he would not campaign with Galindo.

Asked about allegations that Republicans supported Galindo, Mike Johnson, the speaker of the House of Representatives, told reporters Wednesday: “Of course not. I didn’t even know this person existed. I don’t know anything about it, except that these crazy comments surfaced yesterday … and I thought it was a perfect example of the direction the Democratic Party is going. We say all the time: This is not your father’s Democratic Party.”

Galindo did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A statement on her campaign website reads: “Maureen NEVER said she wanted anyone to be in internment camps!! She never said ‘internment camps’; this was a very unethical reporter who was desperate to bring her down through an article headline that could be screenshotted.

“She wants the Karnes ICE facility turned into a prison for billionaire Zionists who profited from the state’s genocidal materials and trafficking. The prosecutions have nothing to do with religion – they can be evangelical, Catholic, Mormon, Jewish, etc.

“It’s also true that she wants an entire department and a TV station to denounce pedophiles and, yes, have them castrated at Karnes Prison and then transferred to prisons with violent criminals.”

The statement concluded by saying that Galindo wanted people in the neighborhood to give him ideas for a name for the establishment.

Galindo, a former sex therapist, finished first in the primary in March and will compete in a runoff election against Garcia, a former sheriff’s deputy, on Tuesday.