The Squad demonizes pro-Israel AIPAC with fake ‘dark money’ charge — despite its modest sway

Progressives are trotting out an ol🧜d bugbear of the Israel-loathing fringe as the congre𒅌ssional election season heats up.

Democratic radicals facing tough primaries are lambasting AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs 𝄹Committee, for the sin of helping their opponents.

Look no further than The Squad.

“We can’t and won’t give AIPAC and the GOP another inch!” Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), who’s facing an AIPAC-backed challenger in her Aug. 6 primary election, wrote on X last month.

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), herself up against an AIPAC-supported opponent in her Aug.13 primary, has blasted AIPAC in a campaign ad claiming that a “right-wing Super PAC funded by millions of dollars in Dark Money spending is working around the clock to unseat Ilhan from Congr🃏ess.”  

Not to be overlooked, disgraced Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N🐠Y) claimed in his June 25 concession speech that “a Super PAC of dark money”ও had taken him down.

AIPAC isn’t the reason why Bowman or other anti-Israel progressives lose.

They’re being ousted from office because their loony views, including but not limited to anti-Zio꧑nism, are far out of step with their districts.

AIPAC, which has been around🌺 since 1963, is a convenient target for their anti-Israel grievances.

The grouꦜp has long taken flak from opponents who argue that it nefariously influences American policy, but its🥀 critics are mistaken.      

Take c꧙ampaign contributions, for which AIPAC is often attacked: AIPAC has the same First Amendment right🍃s that all Americans do.

One wonders why this one group, whose staff and supporters are significantly Jewish, is so criticized 🧔for backing candidates who support theജ world’s sole Jewish state.

And AIPAC is far from the nation’s most prolific campaign contributor: According to , it has been outspent by 11 oth🍬er political action committees this election cycle.

When was the last time you heard someone deplore the machinations of🎐 the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, for example?

If AIPAC-haters had any interest in🐻 being honest, they would acknowledge that the group is hardly the only one to give money to politicians it supports.

And the money AIPAC spends often doesn’t 🧜bear fruit — in this and past years, it has backed its fair share of losing congressional candidates.

Some of AIPAC’s fiercest critics, like Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders෴ (I-Vt.), remain in office.

That AIPAC hasn’t dislodged them demonstrates its lꦚimited sway.

AIPA🍷C has arguably even less influence over the executive branch than Congress.

In May, it publicly criticized the Biden administration for withholding weapons shipments to Israel, calling the decision “,” yet the delay persists.

This is hardly the stuff of an all𒊎-powerful group.

AIPAC’s failure to get what it wants from the White House isn’t new: In 1978, the Carter administration went forward with the sale of jet aircraft to the Egyptians and Saudis despite AIPAC’s strident opposition, and it suffered another defeat three years later🐭 when Ronald Reagan got the AWACS arms package for Saudi Arabia across the finish line.

More recently, AIPAC’s vigorous opposition did not stop Barack Obama from concluding a nuclear deal with Iran in 🧜2015.

AIPAC for decades has come up shor⛎t in battles with presidents of both parties — but that’s not what anti-Israel radicals want you to belie🦩ve.

In their minds, pro-Israel advocacy is tantamount to buying elections and cꦚontrolling the instruments of power, and they have made AIPAC🍷 out to be something it is decidedly not.

They resent Americans who support Israel and fall back on the canard of Jewish power n🍨o matter what the fa🌌cts say.

Those who launch such vicious and relentless attacks against AIPAC hold Jews to a sta🔴ndard to which they hold no others.

There’s a word for this: ant�♛�isemitism.    

Bush, Omar and other anti-Zionis💯ts will keep demonizing AIPAC’s role this eꩲlection cycle.

Yet the truth is AIPAC isn’t an omnipotent cabal, but a political action c🌌ommittee like any other — just one of many imperfect parts of America’s lively civil soci꧑ety. Take note the next time a politician singles it out.

holds a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, where he wrote his dissertation on American defense policy toward Israel.