President Joe Biden’s new press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has been blasted for a scathing 2019 attack on the ‘severely racist’ pro-Israel conference – even though previous attendees include Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
In a 2019 Newsweek op-ed, Pierre, 44, called the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) convention ‘racist’ and said it wasn’t ‘progressive.’
She wrote the op-ed while working as the Senior Advisor and National Spokesperson to MoveOn, according to the New York Post. She was also working as a lecturer at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs at the time.
Jean-Pierre, the first black and gay person to hold the position, has already received heat for her relationship with CNN journalist Suzanne Malveaux, with many calling it a ‘conflict of interest’ –
She also slammed the Trump Administration for trying to dismantle the Iran Nuclear Deal former President Barack Obama had put together and praised Democratic nominees for not attending the 2019 conference.
‘And I for one am glad that a number of candidates running on my party’s ticket feel the same. Because ultimately, this wasn’t about skipping the AIPAC annual conference,’ she wrote.
‘It was about boldly choosing to prioritize diplomacy and human rights over the power of a lobbying organization. And this is exactly the type of attitude we need heading into 2020.’
She also took a dig at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was a speaker at that year’s conference.
‘Netanyahu not only has personal charges levied against him = he’s been indicted on both bribery and fraud charges – but under his leadership of Israel, according to the United Nations, Israel may have committed war crimes in its attacks on Gazan protesters,’ she wrote at the time.
Netanyahu called the war crimes claim ‘outrageous.’
Now, Pierre is facing backlash online for her three-year piece.
Seth Mandel, the executive editor of the Washington Examiner magazine, who is also Jewish, wrote on Twitter: ‘Karine Jean-Pierre also criticized Hoyer for “bash[ing]” Ilhan Omar and other squadniks over Israel. You definitely want someone who sides with Ilhan Omar speaking for the president, right? Good work everyone.’
David Friedman, who served as US Ambassador to Israel between 2017 and 2021, wrote on Twitter: ‘Amidst all the celebration of Biden’s new press secretary checking multiple boxes in identity politics, the mainstream media forgot to mention that she hates Israel.’
The Times of Israel even wrote: ‘Karine Jean-Pierre, who endorsed AIPAC boycott, to be next White House spokesperson.’
Pierre, who grew up in Queens, New York, began her career at the Center for Community and Corporate Ethics that analyzes the impact of big corporations on society. She also works on President Obama’s 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns and was a political commentator on NBC and MSNBC during the Trump Administration.
Jen Psaki, who Pierre will be replacing, will be moving on to work for MSNBC after her last day, May 13.
Pierre is the first openly gay person and the first black woman to reach this position.
An ethics group is doubling down on their calls for the Biden White House to be the ‘most transparent in history’ by releasing all ethics documents relating to new press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and her conversations with ethics officials over potential conflicts of interest with her CNN journalist partner.
Her partner is CNN’s national correspondent Suzanne Malveaux, 55, and the pair share a seven-year-old daughter, Soleil.
There are now questions over whether the network embroiled in months of scandal will offer impartial coverage.
Meanwhile, there is still mounting criticism over Psaki’s potential move to MSNBC when she leaves the White House as press secretary next week.
Michael Chamberlain, Director of ethics watchdog Protect the Public’s Trust, told DailyMail.com on Friday: ‘Restrictions regarding conflicts of interest for political appointees are imputed on the appointee’s spouse.
‘Regardless of the legal status of her relationship with Malveaux, given Jean-Pierre’s unique role with the media, this certainly presents the appearance of a potential conflict of interest.
‘If the Biden Administration is going to be true to their pledges to be the most ethical and most transparent in history, they should feel an obligation to go beyond the minimum legal requirements for disclosure and release all of Ms. Jean-Pierre’s ethics documents as well as the related conversations with ethics officials.
‘Protect the Public’s Trust called for this transparency with respect to Ms. Psaki’s post-government employment search as well.’
Juwan Holmes, associate editor of the online magazine LGBTQ Nation, spent the last two years writing about Jean-Pierre’s work, and said he anticipated the concern.
‘I’m sure there won’t be Cuomo-level conflict of interest violations but expect it to have it bought up in the future…’ he said.
Others quickly slammed the network.
‘This is one of many examples of the corporate media LITERALLY in bed with the government it covers,’ tweeted Alex Marlow, editor-in-chief of Breitbart.
Malveaux, who joined CNN in 2002, and Jean-Pierre are familiar faces on the DC scene – most recently attending the White House Correspondents’ Dinner together on Saturday night.
The pair met in 2012 at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.