This press release was originally posted on Rep. Summer Lee's (PA-12) congressional website.
**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
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Lee said “At a moment when our Jewish communities are in so much pain, I am horrified that Republicans are now planning to elect Speaker who has used his official role as Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee to spread antisemitic tropes and replacement theory online and on national TV — even tweeting ‘Kanye. Elon. Trump’ from the official House Judiciary Committee Account and left the post up for a total of 56 days including after Kanye vowed to go ‘death con 3 on Jewish people.’”
(Washington, DC) – After Congresswoman Summer Lee (D-PA) today called on Republicans to withdraw support for Jim Jordan as Speaker ahead of vote, a broad and growing coalition of civil rights organizations joined and echoed Lee’s call in a statement broadly denouncing dangerous, bigoted conspiracies like the great replacement conspiracy theory and calling on members of congress, especially leadership, to reject usage of such.
Rabbi Jason Kimelman-Block, Washington Director of Bend the Arc: Jewish Action said: “Jim Jordan embodies the worst and most dangerous impulses of the far right. He has regularly used antisemitic rhetoric including the white supremacist “great replacement” theory. That Jordan is on the precipice of becoming Speaker must serve as a wakeup call: what we may have previously considered ‘fringe’ and hateful views are now fully in the mainstream of our political discourse. Handing this man the Speaker’s gavel can only make things worse for the Jewish community, especially Jews of color, and so many other communities targeted by white supremacy. His ascendency should be terrifying to anyone who cares about democracy, racial justice, human decency, and combating bigotry.”
ADC National Government Affairs and Advocacy Director Chris Habiby said, “Electing Jim Jordan as speaker is an endorsement of decades of the dangerous and hateful rhetoric he has directed towards minorities, including Arab Americans. This would be not only an extremely divisive move, but one that is sure to continue to empower those with the most extreme white supremacist ideologies, sometimes with deadly consequences. Jim Jordan is the antithesis of what America needs in leadership.”
Lindsay Schubiner, Director of Programs, Western State Center said, “Rep. Jordan’s record of dangerous rhetoric and disregard for democratic norms raises serious concerns about his nomination to the role of Speaker of the House. He not only supported Trump’s efforts to overthrow the will of the people, but he has consistently promoted baseless conspiracy theories like the antisemitic Great Replacement Theory, which has driven repeated acts of racist mass violence. This is particularly dangerous given the increased risk of antisemitic and anti-Muslim violence sparked by the conflict abroad. Our future depends on nominating a Speaker of the House who upholds the principles of justice, fairness, and respect for all. Nominating Rep. Jordan sends a crystal clear and deeply disturbing message about the fate of our democracy. “
According to Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice said, “Whether his bid for the speakership ends successfully or not, the very notion of Jim Jordan moving into the presidential line of succession should be a frightening prospect for anyone who cares about our democracy. Jim Jordan sought to overturn the 2020 election, has repeatedly embraced the white nationalist and antisemitic “great replacement” theory, and the accompanying “invasion” rhetoric that together have inspired multiple domestic terrorist attacks; and his fealty to Donald Trump includes a shared commitment to immigration extremism and policy proposals that are both cruel and unworkable. Jim Jordan’s embrace of extreme white nationalist and antisemitic tropes and conspiracies are not befitting of any Member of Congress, let alone the Speaker of the House. The American people deserve a functioning government, not more of the dangerous nativist politics, embrace of white nationalist conspiracies and anti-democratic extremism that Jim Jordan embodies.”
Summer Lee said, “At a moment when our Jewish communities are in so much pain, I am horrified that days after attempting to elect a Speaker who spoke at a white supremacist convention hosted by a group whose website said that “Jews will attack us for wanting to restore white America,” Republicans are now planning to elect Speaker who has used his official role as Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee to spread antisemitic tropes and replacement theory online and on national TV. In response to Kanye wearing a “white lives matter” t-shirt, Jim Jordan used his position as Chair to tweet ‘Kanye. Elon. Trump’ from the official House Judiciary Committee Account and left the post up for a total of 56 days–even after Kanye vowed to go ‘death con 3 on Jewish people.’” Jordan also used his chairmanship and his taxpayer funded platforms to peddle white-supremacist and antisemitic theory replacement theory that motivated the murders of 11 beloved members of my community in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting,10 Black grocery shoppers in Buffalo, 23 Latino community members in El Paso, and 51 Muslim worshippers in Christchurch. I will vote for Leader Jeffries and continue my work building bridges between marginalized communities to dismantle the systems of white supremacy enabling violence against our communities.”
Last week, Lee called for Republicans to drop Steve Scalise, pointing to Scalise’ history calling himself “David Duke without the baggage” and speaking at the 2002 International White Supremacist Convention sponsored by a group whose website said that “Jews will attack us for wanting to restore white America and are responsible for the ‘browning’ of America” (more below).
Read the full press release, include detailed background on Jim Jordan, here.
Photo by: Gage Skidmore
