Leahy Will Not Attend ‘Politicized’ Netanyahu Speech To Congress

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said he would not attend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress, joining a handful of Democratic lawmakers in boycotting the meeting, Vermont newspaper Seven Days reported.

“The unfortunate way that House leaders have unilaterally arranged this, and then heavily politicized it, has demolished the potential constructive value of this Joint Meeting. They have orchestrated a tawdry and high-handed stunt that has embarrassed not only Israel but the Congress itself,” Leahy said in a Tuesday statement.

“It has long been an unwritten rule and practice through the decades that when it comes to American foreign policy, we speak and act thoughtfully, with one voice when we can, with the national interests of the United States as our uppermost consideration, and with caution about the unintended consequences of unilateral actions like this,” he continued. “They have diminished that valuable precedent.”

Sanders said on Monday that he would not attend the Joint Meeting. Three House Democrats have also said they will skip Netanyahu’s speech, which House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) invited him to deliver before consulting with the White House. In addition, a dozen House Democrats have threatened to boycott the speech.