The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is set to launch attack ads against a party candidate who said she wanted to turn detention centers into a prison for "American Zionists," according to a new report.
Maureen Galindo, who finished first in the Democratic primary for Texas' 35th district, has been harshly criticized by party members across the country for her remarks. Many of them endorsed Johnny Garcia, a local sheriff's deputy who will face her in the runoff on Tuesday. Garcia has also been backed by the DCCC.
Axios detailed that House Democrats had been urging the DCCC to intervene more directly in the race to prevent her from becoming a candidate and potentially being a weaker candidate in the general elections. Now, the outlet said, the DCCC is launching a $35,000 ad buy against Galindo.
Galindo stirred controversy after pledging to turn the "Karnes ICE Detention Center into a prison for American Zionists and former ICE officers for human trafficking."
"It will also be a castration processing center for pedophiles, which will probably be most of the Zionists," Galindo wrote.
A quick review of the Galindo's Instagram account shows numerous posts about "Zionists." She has also said she would introduce legislation to have "all American candidates and elected officials who have ever taken Israeli money tried for treason."
"When I say I want billionaire Zionists in prison that does not I want Jews in internment camps," Galindo said on Instagram on Tuesday in an apparent attempt to clarify her position.
Democrat Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington condemned her in a joint statement released Tuesday night: "This vile language by her is disqualifying and has no place in American politics, and certainly not in the Democratic Party," they said.
Jeffries and DelBene also pointed out that Galindo appeared was receiving money from Lead Left PAC, which the pair claimed was looking out for Republican interests by trying to bolster more extreme candidates in Democratic primaries while undermining candidates the party preferred. The New York Times reported that the mysterious PAC had spent $1 million in Democratic primaries.
"They're going into Democratic primaries and literally trying to boost the most extreme candidates and oppose the (moderate) Blue Dog-endorsed candidates that, if they win, are going to beat the Republicans in the general," California Representative Adam Gray told the Times.
