In the wake of the November 5 presidential election, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) sparked controversy by accusing the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC of exerting undue influence over Democratic lawmakers, potentially contributing to the party’s disappointing results.
Known for her outspoken criticism of Israel, Ocasio-Cortez took to X to express her thoughts.
“If people want to talk about members of Congress being overly influenced by a special interest group pushing a wildly unpopular agenda that pushes voters away from Democrats, then they should be discussing AIPAC,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Sunday, targeting the influential political action committee.
Her post was in response to remarks by Jeremy Slavin, a senior adviser to Senator Bernie Sanders, who had called out corporate and industry lobbying as key drivers of Democratic Party decisions, omitting discussion of AIPAC’s role.
AIPAC swiftly countered Ocasio-Cortez’s criticism, posting a fact-check on X that highlighted primary election results in New York and Missouri, where progressive "Squad" members Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush failed to secure their reelection bids.
The pro-Israel group used the graphic to challenge Ocasio-Cortez’s claims, asserting that its influence was not as divisive among voters as the congresswoman suggested.
* The Yeshivah World contributed to this article.