BIBI WATCH: Sen. Whitehouse Won’t Attend Netanyahu Speech

Senate Crime and Terrorism Chairman Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., presides over the subcommittee's hearing: "Campus Sexual Assault: the Roles and Responsibilities of Law Enforcement." on Capitol Hill in Washington... Senate Crime and Terrorism Chairman Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., presides over the subcommittee's hearing: "Campus Sexual Assault: the Roles and Responsibilities of Law Enforcement." on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014. It's estimated that only a fraction of campus sexual assault victims go to police. Senators want to know why. The subcommittee hearing on Tuesday focused on the role of law enforcement in campus sexual assault cases. (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) on Monday said that he will not attend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress on Tuesday, becoming the sixth Democratic senator to boycott the joint meeting.

“I’m concerned that behind it was a mischievous effort to manipulate domestic politics in both countries, which should not be the terms of engagement between friendly allies,” Whitehouse said in a statement to Rhode Island television station WPRI.

Despite his decision to skip the speech, the senator said he is still “committed to a strong and lasting relationship between the United States and Israel, a country which represents our values in a very dangerous neighborhood.”

More than 40 House and Senate Democrats plan on skipping the Tuesday speech, which House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) invited Netanyahu to deliver without consulting the White House.

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. excellent, such a mensch.

  2. Avatar for vonq vonq says:

    The remaining Dems: Attend and then get up and walk out when Bibi gets up to speak. They already know what he’s going to say.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

15 more replies

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for doremus_jessup Avatar for lestatdelc Avatar for srfromgr Avatar for vinceandlinda Avatar for fargo116 Avatar for tearam Avatar for vonq Avatar for arrrrrj Avatar for sniffit Avatar for benjoya Avatar for captaincommonsense Avatar for emilianoelmexicano Avatar for robertweaston Avatar for wsayscoupgood

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: