A former House Democrat deleted a controversial social media post taking a shot at former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) by highlighting a meeting with Orthodox Jewish leaders.
Former Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-NY), who is again running as a Democrat for a House seat in a different district after losing a 2022 primary to now-Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), said the post to X “was too open to misinterpretation.”
Jones’ post showed McCarthy wearing a yarmulke while meeting with Hasidic leaders in New York’s Rockland County and said, “Well this was a waste of everyone’s time,” according to Jewish Insider. It was posted after the House ousted McCarthy from his perch as speaker.
Mondaire Jones' totally normal response to McCarthy news pic.twitter.com/liQ6LHK6fv
— Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) October 4, 2023
Jones’ post drew swift condemnation and accusations of anti-Semitism, including from Jewish House Democrats.
“This was not a waste of time. It is never a waste of time to meet with religious leaders. Additionally, I doubt your choice of religion to highlight here was coincidental,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) said in a now-deleted post to X.
“This disgusting post is insulting to Jewish people and every person of faith. Meeting with religious leaders is critical to understanding the needs of our communities. This antisemitic rhetoric is deeply concerning,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) said in a post that also has since been deleted.
Jones claimed he was trying to make a rhetorical point about how McCarthy and Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) — whose district Jones is now campaigning to win in 2024 — are failing New York residents.
“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,” Jones said.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP
“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,” he added
Moskowitz expressed his appreciation for Jones’ “clarification and removal” of the post.
“With the rise of antisemitism,” Moskowitz added, “imagery is sensitive. I want to be clear, after speaking to him I do not believe that was his intent. I appreciate his record in Congress of standing with the Jewish community in his district.”
Lawler, who is Catholic, said in an unrelated post to X on Wednesday, “We must stand up to anti-Semitism & anti-Zionism.”
The House voted 216-210 on Tuesday to remove McCarthy as speaker, a role he held since January. Other Republicans are now stepping up to enter the race to take on the role.
Lawler said in a post to another one of his X accounts that the vote to remove McCarthy as speaker was “a disgrace and undermined the institution and the important work of our country.”