GOP Rep. ties opponent to terrorists

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), who was indicted along with his wife last month for using at least $250,000 in campaign funds for personal expenses, released an ad Wednesday connecting his Democratic opponent to terrorism.

“Ammar Campa-Najjar is working to infiltrate Congress…His grandfather masterminded the Munich Olympic massacre. His father said they ‘all deserve to die,’” the ad says.

{mosads}“He is being supported by CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood. This is a well-orchestrated plan,” a commentator also says in the ad. 

Campa-Najjar, who is of Mexican and Palestinian descent, has distanced himself from his grandfather’s participation in the terrorist attack that killed 11 Israeli Olympic athletes. 

“As an American citizen living in the 21st century, I will never be able to understand or condone the actions and motivations of my grandfather,” he told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz in February. 

The Council of American Islamic Relations has denied any ties to terrorist groups, and Campa-Najjar has no known links to the Muslim Brotherhood. Campa-Najjar forcefully denounced the ad.

“It’s sad to see Congressman Hunter lose his grip on reality, but he knows better. He knows he’s not above the law. He knows I served in the White House and the administration, meaning I was given a security clearance by the Secret Service after a thorough background check. He knows I’m not responsible for my family’s actions, just like his wife isn’t responsible for his.” Campa-Najjar said in a statement to The Hill.

“Integrity isn’t a Republican issue or Democratic issue – it’s an American issue and I am ready to put country over party. And frankly, voters want a law maker not a law breaker as their Congressman,” he added.

Campa-Najjar is endorsed by the pro-Israel group J Street, which promotes a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“J Street is proud to support Ammar Campa-Najjar in the face of reprehensible and absurd attacks from Rep. Duncan Hunter. Campa-Najjar is a Latino-Arab American who is deeply committed to pragmatic, diplomacy-first foreign policy and to the promotion of peace, security and a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike,” J Street said in a statement released by Campa-Najjar’s campaign. 

“By shamefully targeting Campa-Najjar on the basis of his Mexican-Palestinian heritage and a relative who died sixteen years before he was born, Hunter clearly hopes to distract from his own troubled candidacy — and from the serious, substantive issues that matter to voters,” it added.

The indictments against Hunter, whose succeeded his father in Congress, thrust the race in California’s ruby red 50th Congressional District into the national spotlight. 

Hunter was promptly dropped from his position on multiple House committees, and Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) called the charges against the five-term congressman “deeply serious.” 

Despite that, Hunter remains in a fairly good position. A Monmouth University poll released Thursday has him with an eight-point advantage over Campa-Najjar among potential voters. The Cook Political Report rates the race as “Lean Republican.”