Far-left “Squad” member Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., hesitated to label the terrorist group Hamas as a terrorist organization in a recent interview, indicating that she felt the need to tread carefully with such definitions.
“Would they qualify as a terrorist organization? Yes. But do I know that definitively? Absolutely not,” Bush expressed to The New York Times, sharing her experience of being portrayed in a negative light for spearheading racial justice protests in Ferguson, Missouri. “I have no contact with them. All I can say is that we were labeled as terrorists, deemed Black identity extremists, and all we sought was peace. I’m not equating the two situations, but it has made me cautious about assigning labels if I’m unsure.”
Bush is facing a tough fight in her primary against Wesley Bell, who positions himself as a more moderate pro-Israel counterpart to the progressive “Squad” member. Like other members of the “Squad,” she is a vocal critic of Israel and expresses support for the Palestinian cause. Hamas was responsible for the devastating terrorist attack on October 7 that resulted in over 1,100 fatalities in Israel and led to numerous hostages being taken.
“We were branded as terrorists during Ferguson,” Bush recalled, referencing the unrest that followed the police shooting of Michael Brown in 2014. An investigation concluded that the officer, Darren Wilson, acted in self-defense, yet the incident sparked the “Hands up, don’t shoot” movement.
Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., testifies during the House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing titled Birthing While Black: Examining America’s Black Maternal Health Crisis, in Rayburn Building on Thursday, May 6, 2021. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
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“Have they caused harm? Absolutely,” she stated regarding Hamas. “Has the Israeli military caused harm? Absolutely.”
Bush, along with Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., opposed legislation in January that restricted members of Hamas from entering the U.S.
A spokesperson for Bush appeared to clarify the lawmaker’s earlier statements, telling the Times, “The congresswoman understands that Hamas is a terrorist organization.”
Bell, Bush’s opponent, enjoys support from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which earlier this year backed George Latimer’s successful campaign against Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., another far-left, anti-Israel Democrat.
Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., speaks to reporters after a House vote on Capitol Hill on Friday, Oct. 22, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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Bowman accused AIPAC of manipulating voters after his expected defeat and proclaimed that voters should express outrage.
“We should be furious when a super PAC using dark money can spend $20 million to manipulate public perception with falsehoods. We should be upset about that,” he asserted in June.
Bush’s progressive supporters, including Bowman, have rallied around her as Missouri’s primary election approaches.
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Bush was first elected in 2020 and subsequently re-elected in 2022.
