(Headline USA) President Joe Biden’s nominee to be the U.S. ambassador to Brazil has a history of anti-Semitism that has created a stumble in her nomination, with even some Democrats balking.
Elizabeth Frawley Bagley, whose nomination is up for a vote in the Senate this week, made a number of disturbing comments in a 1998 interview with a historian while she was the U.S. Ambassador to Portugal, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
“There is always the influence of the Jewish lobby because there is major money involved,” she said in the interview. “But, I don’t remember any major issues coming out on that, besides the usual ‘make Jerusalem the capital of Israel,’ which is always an issue in the campaign.”
Bagley went on to argue that “the Jewish factor, it’s money.”
“The Democrats always tend to go with the Jewish constituency on Israel and say stupid things, like moving the capital to Jerusalem always comes up. Things that we shouldn’t even touch,” Bagley added.
“Jewish Democrats were going to give their money to [former President Bill] Clinton anyway and Jews are mostly Democrats on social issues,” she said.
Even a number of Senate Democrats said they were disturbed by Bagley’s comments.
“Is it a suggestion that one group of Americans don’t have the right to engage in the political process as others do?” Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez, D-N.J., asked her.
“Words, especially for those who are going to be ambassadors of the United States to other countries are incredibly important, probably more significant than maybe in our individual daily lives.”
Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., agreed and said he is now reconsidering Bagley’s appointment.
“The language you used in regard to the Jewish community, Israel’s influence on our election, and Jewish money have me concerned,” he said. “The choice of words was fit into the traditional tropes of anti-Semitism.”
Bagley apologized for her “choice of words,” but did not apologize for the sentiment behind them.
