Mondaire Jones, a Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives for New York's 17th district, sparked controversy after sharing a publication that his own party considered anti-Semitic. Instead of apologizing, the former representative simply deleted the post and claimed that people had misinterpreted his message.
The controversy arose after the historic ousting of Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House of Representatives. After the news, Jones used social networks to publish a photograph of the Republican wearing a kippah and eating with Jewish leaders.
“Well, this was a waste of everyone's time,” he commented.
Former Democrat Rep. Mondaire Jones with an antisemitic response to the McCarthy news. pic.twitter.com/w2WORY8ed2
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) October 3, 2023
The publication sparked negative reactions from multiple X users, including members of his party.
“This was not a waste of time. It is never a waste of time to meet with religious leaders. Additionally, I doubt your choice of religion to highlight here was coincidental,” said Florida Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz, as reported by The Hill.
Josh Gottheimer, a congressman from New Jersey, also reacted, calling the post “disgusting.”
“This disgusting post is insulting to Jewish people and every person of faith. Meeting with religious leaders is critical to understanding the needs of our communities. This antisemitic rhetoric is deeply concerning,” he said.
Jones' “apologies”
After the criticism, the House candidate deleted the post and shared another message saying that his tweet “was too open to misinterpretation.”
“My point was to communicate that Kevin McCarthy, and by extension Mike Lawler, cannot possibly deliver for communities in Rockland because he’s no longer Speaker. Regrettably, I did not make this point clear enough, and so I have deleted the tweet. I am proud of my record of combating antisemitism in Congress and after Congress. In a time of rising anti-semitism, we must be crystal clear where we stand: I continue to be a strong ally of our diverse Jewish communities,” he said.
Yesterday, I posted a tweet that was too open to misinterpretation. My point was to communicate that Kevin McCarthy, and by extension Mike Lawler, cannot possibly deliver for communities in Rockland because he’s no longer Speaker. Regrettably, I did not make this point clear…
— Mondaire Jones (@MondaireJones) October 4, 2023
