Former Rep. Jason Lewis (R-Minn.), who is running for Senate in Minnesota, said in 2013 that the Republican Party had “dual loyalties” to Israel, according to CNN.
The U.S.’s continued support of Israel, Lewis said on a radio show in February 2013, was due to a “very strong American Jewish lobby,” and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. He added that many in the party viewed Israel as the “51st state.”
{mosads}Lewis’s comments were backing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who underwent scrutiny during his 2013 confirmation process for his use of the phrase “Jewish lobby” in 2006, The Washington Post reported then.
When questioned about his past words, Lewis called inquiries “pathetic” and “worn-out.”
“Actions speak louder than words, and the action that Congressman Lewis took in the 115th Congress to strengthen and support the U.S.- Israeli relationship is virtually unmatched, evidenced by his voting record,” Lewis’s campaign manager Tom Szymanski said in an email to The Hill. “The voters of Minnesota will see right through these false attacks next November.”
Lewis then called out Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), characterizing her criticisms of the country’s relationship with Israel “genuinely anti-Israel.”
Lewis is one of two candidates campaigning for the Republican nominee and would face Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) in the general election. Smith won a special election earlier this year and is serving out the remainder of former Sen. Al Franken’s term.