Former Rep. Mondaire Jones is facing criticism – including unfavorable comments from his fellow Democrats – for a social media post involving a photograph of Hasidic Jewish leaders in Rockland County.
According to a report in The Hill, Jones posted a photo from March on X (formerly Twitter) that showed former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Rep. Mike Lawler (who now occupies Jones’ former seat) in a meeting with Hasidic Jewish leaders including Rabbi David Twersky. The photo was posted after the House voted to remove McCarthy from the Speaker’s position and Jones captioned his posting by writing “Well that was a waste of time.”
Lawler, a Republican, issued a statement to Jewish Insider that said Jones’ posting was “shocking but not surprising for a guy who pals around with anti-Semites like Pramila Jayapal, Jamaal Bowman, and the rest of the Squad.” However, two Jewish Democrats serving in the House also took to X to slam Jones.
“This was not a waste of time. It is never a waste of time to meet with religious leaders,” tweeted Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL). “Additionally, I doubt your choice of religion to highlight here was coincidental.”
“This disgusting post is insulting to Jewish people and every person of faith,” stated Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ). “Meeting with religious leaders is critical to understanding the needs of our communities. This antisemitic rhetoric is deeply concerning.”
Another Democrat who came out against Jones was Liz Whitmer Gereghty, who is running against Jones in the Democratic primary for the 17th Congressional District.
“If Mondaire Jones didn’t realize that his tweet could be viewed as antisemitic and elicit vile comments in response, I would question his judgment,” she said in a statement.
Jones deleted his posting and expressed regret for making it.
“Yesterday, I posted a tweet that was too open to misinterpretation,” he wrote on X. “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,” he added. “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.”
