Someday, I hope to be proud of my congressional representative, but that day is not coming anytime soon. You see, my congresswoman is squad member Cori Bush (D-MO). In a move that should not surprise others who find themselves her unfortunate constituents, over the weekend, Bush put out a statement regarding the attack on Israel by the militant group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip. The attack prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare war against Hamas and initiate a decisive response. 

Amid the surprise attack, Bush and other squad members have called for peace and an "immediate cease-fire." Bush further called for "ending U.S. government support Israeli occupation and apartheid." 

My statement on the ongoing violence in Palestine and Israel ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/NIt9G7aLMI

— Congresswoman Cori Bush (@RepCori) October 8, 2023

Bush and her fellow squad members, Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) have come under fire for some of their comments regarding the attacks on Israel, where the death toll currently stands at around 1,000 Israelis. Bush's statement was the standard "condemning" of the attacks and loss of life on both sides of the conflict. It was here that Bush advocated for a cease-fire and de-escalation, and the end of U.S. military support. But make no mistake, Cori Bush uses words like "apartheid" for a reason. Her track record explains why.

My fellow Missourians and I have dealt with Cori Bush's antics since the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014. After the death of George Floyd in 2020, Bush and her megaphone appeared in front of local police stations and leading protesters through the streets. As recently as October of last year, much to the dismay of her fellow Democrats, she still supported defunding the police and is a supporter of reparations for black Americans.

Bush has found a group of progressive compatriots in other squad members. They have also made callous and vicious remarks about Jews and Israel in the past. Omar's antisemitic remarks go back quite a while. In 2012, she commented that "Israel has hypnotized the world." In 2019, she suggested that American lawmakers had been bribed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and stated, “It’s all about the Benjamins, baby.” In her latest statement, she called Israel's response to the attacks "a war crime." Tlaib also released a statement on Sunday. While she stated, “I grieve the Palestinian and Israeli lives lost yesterday, today, and every day,” she did not mention Hamas, nor did she condemn the attacks.

The Anti-Defamation League called the timing of Congresswoman @CoriBush remarks "tone-deaf, heartless, and beyond reason."
Bush wants to end aid to Israel. @adl #Israel #Israel_under_attack https://t.co/h8HIlQztdA

— A.J. Moll𝕏 (@moll_aj) October 9, 2023

Cori Bush's comments, along with Tlaib's, were even too much for some of her fellow Democrats. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), who is himself Jewish, had a few choice words for both Bush and Tlaib and ending U.S. military support, noting that two of his "colleagues called for America to end assistance to Israel, despite the countless images of Israeli children, women, men, and elderly, including Americans, murdered by radical Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists." He added:

Families were violently pulled from their homes as hostages. This is a deliberate and coordinated terrorist attack, savagely targeting innocent civilians. It sickens me that while Israelis clean the blood of their family members shot in their homes, they believe Congress should strip U.S. funding to our democratic ally and allow innocent civilians to suffer.

Rep. Richie Torres (D-NY) also said of Bush and Tlaib, "Shame on anyone who glorifies as ‘resistance’ the largest single-day mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust. It is reprehensible and repulsive."

Closer to home for Cori Bush, State Senator Brian Williams (D-St. Louis) was not in agreement with Bush either, saying:

Terrorism anywhere is the enemy of free people everywhere. Hamas terrorists have slaughtered hundreds of innocent women, children, and Israeli civilians. This is not about resistance to occupation. This is about fear and hatred being made manifest in violence. Missouri stands with Israel. America stands with Israel.

Cori Bush's congressional district encompasses many diverse neighborhoods and communities, several of them predominantly Jewish. Has she made it home to see how her Jewish constituents might feel about such a statement? Not likely. Has she made it home to offer any aid or comfort to those constituents? Not likely. Makes you wonder, if Israel had attacked Gaza in the same manner, would Cori Bush and the rest of her squad buddies be so eager to talk about immediate cease-fires and "just and lasting peace?" Not likely. 

Could 2025 be the year I am proud of my Congress member? At least I can be optimistic.

It’s time to throw these two, Cori Bush and Rashida Tlaib, out of Congress for their “reprehensible and repulsive” comments regarding the attack against Israel. In my view their comments aid & abet our enemies and should be charged and prosecuted! -Lt pic.twitter.com/I70kEgHvJ5

— Lt Steven Rogers (R-NJ) (@LtStevenRogers) October 9, 2023