Watchdog: Virginia congressman defends funding Hamas-backed unity government
From Watchdog.org:
By Paul Miller
TYSONS CORNER, Va. — In the ongoing battle to deprive Mideast terrorists of financial support, one member of Congress vows he’ll make sure at least one group of violent extremists gets cash from U.S. taxpayers.
U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly, D- Va., defended U.S. funding of the Palestinian Authority, despite the fact that the authority includes members of Hamas, a group the U.S. says is a terror organization.
Connolly’s remarks, at a Sept. 28 Arab American Candidates Night forum, emphasized his determination to fightHouse of Representatives colleagues who might block the funding.
“When there are voices calling for the defunding of the Palestinian Authority, I oppose them, publicly,” Connolly said. “Infact I signed a letter signed by Congressman David Price of North Carolina, also signed by Jim (Moran D- Va.), that said we are not going to defund the Palestinian Authority. That would guarantee an explosion in an already volatile situation. When there was a motion to close the Palestinian Authority office here in Washington or let it just be in New York, I opposed it and said it would be a terrible blow to diplomacy and not in U.S. interest let alone Palestine’s interest.”
“Gerry Connolly’s remarks are very troubling,” said Noah Silverman, Republican Jewish Coalition Congressional Affairs Director. “A vow to support taxpayer funding for a Palestinian government that includes Hamas demonstrates reckless indifference to our ally Israel and a disregard for U.S. law, which forbids aid to such a government.”
Connolly’s Republican challenger in November, Suzanne Scholte, posted the audio clip on her YouTube page of the congressman defending his position.
In a news release Tuesday, she said, “We also need to destroy terrorists not fund them.”
“Sending money to Hamas is reckless and hurts Israel, our closest ally in the Middle East – while destabilizing the entire region by legitimizing a terrorist group with U.S.dollars,” Scholte said in the news release.
During his speech, Connolly also addressed the Egyptian military coup that ousted theMohammed Morsi-led Muslim Brotherhood government.
“I was the only member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee who spoke out against the Egyptian military after the coup because they overthrew a democratically elected government whether we like it or not.” Connolly said. “Either the United States supports democracy or we don’t. And even though our government may not like the Muslim Brotherhood, I may not like the Muslim Brotherhood, that governmentdid not mow down thousands of their fellow citizens in the streets of Cairo.”
“Defending and tolerating Morsi’s actions shows how radical Connolly has become on foreign policy, said Scholte. “America needs to defend those persecuted in Egypt, not the persecutors.”
In an interview with Watchdog.org’s Virginia bureau, Scholte said, “Since being elected to Congress, Gerry Connolly has become more and more out of touch with his constituents while becoming more and more radical in his positions. It is the reason he stopped having town hall meetings years ago as his extremist views on foreign policy are completely at odds with Northern Virginia, one of the most educated and diverse areas in the nation.”
Connolly’s congressional office and campaign did not respond to phone call and email requests for comment.
AUDIO: Mark Levin Lambastes Connolly Over Support for Hamas, Muslim Brotherhood
Radio host Mark Levin talked about Gerry Connolly's support for the Muslim Brotherhood and votes to fund a Palestinian government backed by Hamas. Take a listen:
CLICK HERE for full audio of Levin's program.
Oak Hill Herndon Connection Profiles Suzanne
Tim Peterson of The Connection recently profiled Suzanne and her race for Congress. Check it out:
Campaign Round-Up: 9-23-14
As always, the campaign was firing on all cylinders this weekend. Suzanne attended a number of events over the last couple days, and we wanted to share some highlights:
Suzanne went to the KORUS festival in Centreville, where she was greeted by enthusiastic volunteers and supporters:
She also received a gift of calligraphy, in addition to being rewarded the President's Award for Volunteer Service. The award was accompanied by a letter from President Obama.
Suzanne also had the pleasure of speaking to members of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association:
At the Vietnamese American Mid-Autumn Festival, Suzanne spoke to the Voice of Vietnamese Americans:
Suzanne also met with supporters and fellow Republican candidate Micah Edmond (VA-8):
Suzanne also had the opportunity to meet with Father Bishoy Andrawes and members of the St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church:
It's clear that our campaign has the momentum. Suzanne works harder, meets more people, and fights for more votes. It's also clear that she has wide based support throughout the district!
Gerry Connolly Below 50 Percent
From The Weekly Standard:
Democratic congressman Gerry Connolly of Virginia may be vulnerable for reelection, according to details from an internal poll conducted on behalf of his Republican challenger. Connolly, the three-term Democrat who respresents a chunk of Washington's Northern Virginia suburbs, is reportedly below 50 percent support in the poll, which was leaked to a conservative Virginia politics blog called Bearing Drift and was confirmed by the campaign of Republican candidate Suzanne Scholte.
According to the campaign, Connolly polls at 48 percent against Scholte, and just 26 percent say they are definitely voting for the Democrat. Connolly's approval rating is 45 percent, and in a head-to-head match-up with Scholte among those who know both candidates, he leads her by just one point, 45 percent to 44 percent. The Scholte campaign would not provide the Republican's performance against Connolly among all those polled.
What's Connolly's weakness? After all, the district once held by moderate Republican Tom Davis has grown considerably more Democratic, as has the Northern Virginia region overall. Given his district's proximity to the nation's capital, Connolly represents a large number of federal government employees. In the GOP's banner year of 2010, Connolly squeaked through reelection by fewer than a thousand votes, though in 2012, riding Barack Obama's coattails, he won easily against the same GOP candidate with 61 percent of the vote. So why, two years later, might these voters be willing to trade in a liberal Democrat for a less familiar candidate associated with the "less government" message of the GOP?
Scholte's cash-strapped campaign is banking on two issues to help her make the race competitive. One is her cachet with the district's sizable Asian community. A human rights activist, Scholte has worked with political refugees from communist nations, particularly those from North Korea. That gives her a foothold within a group not normally predisposed to Republicans. If her candidacy can increase turnout among the Asian-Americans in Northern Virginia, it might make Scholte competitive.
The second issue is Connolly's vote for the Budget Control Act in 2011. While presidential politics overwhelmed the conversation in the 2012 election, the indiscriminate cuts to the federal budget as a result of the law remain a potent issue in Northern Virginia. The BCA mandated Congress make certain budget cuts or see across-the-board reductions in spending as a result. The law was designed to spook members of Congress into making those cuts, but the gambit didn't work, and after some delays, sequestration of defense spending and other government spending have taken place.
Connolly voted for the BCA, despite the sequestration provisions. (His fellow Northern Virginia Democrat, Jim Moran, voted against it.) Since sequestration cuts became a reality, Connolly has been vocal in his opposition to those cuts, even while the bill he supported provided for the reductions. It's blatant pandering like this that led Scholte to call Connolly a "partisan, bitter hack" in an interview earlier this year with THE WEEKLY STANDARD. According to Scholte's internal poll, 47 percent of those asked said Connolly's support for sequestration would make it "less likely" for them to vote for the Democrat.
Video: 'Consensus Builder'
Suzanne has spent her entire life fighting for people. Check out this video highlighting her record on fighting for freedom and building consensus:
Connolly Votes Against Fed Transparency
From The Fairfax Free Citizen:
Editor’s Note. Congressman Gerry Connolly (D, VA-11), who represents a big part of Fairfax County, has now gone on record opposing government transparency. As pointed out in the article below, Congressman Connolly recently voted to oppose auditing the Federal Reserve, which controls key elements of the American economy. Congressman Connolly also has opposed serious inquiries into the Benghazi debacle and the Internal Revenue Service’s alleged targeting of conservative organizations.
He seems to believe in governing on the principle of data ignorance: “the less information I have, the better will be my decisions.”
The good news, though, is his Republican opponent for Congress in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District, Suzanne Scholte, vows to vote and act on the basis of data and facts, an approach that has guided her past public work. The choice of voting this fall for ignorance or fact-based knowledge seems to be quite obvious.
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to audit the Federal Reserve. It was an overwhelmingly bipartisan piece of legislation that passed 333-92 with 106 Democrats supporting the effort. The Federal Reserve was created by Congress to manage elements of the economy. While it has a lot of power, it has never been audited in its over 100-year history.
Prior to the vote, Representative Thomas Massie (R, KY-4) stated:
Since its inception, the Federal Reserve has always operated in the shadows, without sufficient scrutiny or oversight of its operations.
The bill would require the Comptroller General to audit the Federal Reserve and issue a report to Congress. It is a common sense government transparency bill.
It was such a common sense piece of legislation that both Representative Frank Wolf (R, VA-10) and Representative Jim Moran (D, VA-8) voted together in favor of the audit. Representative Gerry Connolly broke with his partners in the Northern Virginia delegation and opposed more government transparency.
That Representative Wolf and Representative Moran voted for this legislation shows how much this bill is not a partisan bill, but a test of how much people believe in government transparency.
Representative Connolly continued his record on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee of opposing government transparency at every turn.
Daily Caller: Is Benghazi Investigation Still A ‘Witch Hunt’?
Op-Ed featured in The Daily Caller:
Sen. Diane Feinstein called the Benghazi hearings a “witch hunt.” The Obama administration called the attacks an “old story.” Congressman Gerry Connolly said the congressional investigation is a “blatant exploitation of a tragedy” with “outrageous GOP charges” that a U.S. security team was held back from rescuing Ambassador Stevens.
Read moreWeekend Campaign Update- 9-14-14
Suzanne and the campaign had an incredibly busy weekend. Check out some photos below highlighting this weekend's campaign activities:
On Friday Night, Suzanne's coalition leaders met to plan upcoming activities.
On Saturday, Suzanne was hosted at a meet and greet in Sideburn Precinct.
Also on Saturday, a dedicated team of Scholte volunteers knocked doors in Prince William County.
Family Research Council Endorses Suzanne
The Family Research Council Action PAC has endorsed Suzanne's candidacy. Check out the endorsement below:
