Day: June 27, 2024

Sen. Bob Casey has touted an official at a pro-Hamas activist group who this week attacked the Pennsylvania Democrat’s Senate colleague, John Fetterman, for meeting with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu, the executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relation’s (CAIR) Philadelphia chapter, called on Fetterman to “hang his head in shame” for meeting Netanyahu during a trip to Israel this week. “It is shameful that a senator from our state would meet with and express support for a genocidal war criminal like Benjamin Netanyahu,” said Tekelioglu.

That attack could put pressure on Casey to weigh in on the fracture between Fetterman, who has campaigned aggressively on his behalf, and a politically active group Casey has praised in the past.

Casey, running in one of the highest profile Senate elections of the cycle, spotlighted Tekelioglu in May 2021, for his work on “civic engagement.” In 2016, Casey praised CAIR’s “fight against rising discrimination” as a “testament to the bravery, work ethic and ideals of everyone involved.” Just seven years before that glowing statement, the Department of Justice labeled CAIR an “unindicted coconspirator” of Hamas as part of a terrorism finance investigation. In November, CAIR executive director Nihad Awad said he “was happy to see” Hamas attack Israel on October 7.

Casey has expressed support for Israel in its war with Hamas, but like many Democrats he has shied away from aggressively criticizing the anti-Israel groups aligned with Democrats’ left-wing base. President Joe Biden has dispatched campaign and White House officials to Michigan to preserve support from Arab and Muslim voters in the swing state. The Biden team has met with several pro-Hamas activists during those visits, including a newspaper publisher who has called the terrorist group “freedom fighters.”

While Fetterman has gone to bat for Casey on the campaign trail, lobbing attacks on Republican Dave McCormick and soliciting campaign donations, Casey has not reciprocated as Fetterman has drawn fire from anti-Israel groups and former staffers over his ardent support for the Jewish state. Activists have adopted the hashtag #GenocideJohn to protest his support for Israel, which a group of former campaign staffers called a “gutting betrayal.”

Casey has not publicly defended Fetterman against those attacks. He has also stayed silent on his endorsement of “Squad” member Summer Lee (D., Pa.), one of the most vocal anti-Israel members of the House. Lee, who lists Casey’s endorsement prominently on her website, has accused Israel of genocide and opposed measures to condemn Hamas. She was slated to speak at the annual fundraiser for CAIR Philadelphia earlier this year but pulled out at the last minute because of controversial remarks from some of her fellow speakers.

Casey’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

The post Bob Casey Praised CAIR Official Who Urged Fetterman To ‘Hang His Head in Shame’ Over Support for Israel appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.

Maryland Rep. David Trone (D.) burned $62 million of his own money on his failed Senate primary bid in May. Now, he may spend his last remaining months in Congress fending off allegations that he misrepresented the true extent of his wealth in his public financial disclosure reports.

The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), a government watchdog group, on Thursday filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics alleging that Trone’s financial disclosures “significantly underreported” the value of his ownership stake in Total Wine, the $2.4 billion liquor retail chain he cofounded with his brother, in violation of federal law. The complaint cites extensively from a series of Washington Free Beacon reports that found Trone failed to disclose at least eight Total Wine affiliates in his disclosures dating back to 2016, when he first ran for Congress.

“This is a case where known facts appear to contradict with what Congressman Trone put forth on his own financial disclosures,” FACT executive director Kendra Arnold told the Free Beacon. “One issue the House Ethics Manual clearly acknowledges is the stringent enforcement of the financial disclosure law because it is the only method to determine whether candidates or Members have conflicts of interest.”

“Moreover, the failure of Members to follow the most basic ethics rules leads to public distrust in our elected officials and is unacceptable,” Arnold added.

Total Wine was central to Trone’s political rise and fall. He reported raking in at least $120 million and up to more than $263 million in distributions from the company and its various affiliates during his three terms in the House, starting in 2019. Those earnings helped Trone invest more than $100 million into his political campaigns, including the $61.8 million he dumped into his failed Senate primary bid against Prince George’s County executive Angela Alsobrooks.

But Trone’s financial disclosures don’t paint a complete picture of his ownership of Total Wine. In his latest disclosure, covering the 2022 calendar year, he reported the value of his Total Wine holdings were worth no more than $80 million. That disclosure didn’t include his ownership stake in Total Wine’s Indiana affiliate, Indiana Fine Wine & Spirits, a company he founded with his brother in 2019 and used to help secure his $25 million business loan with PNC Bank.

Trone campaign spokesman Nathaniel Philp told the Free Beacon in May that the congressman didn’t disclose his ownership stake in the Indiana business and other Total Wine affiliates he pledged as collateral in his PNC Bank loan because, on paper, the businesses were worth less than $1,000 and therefore didn’t cross the reporting threshold.

“The rules governing the House’s financial disclosure reporting did not require disclosure of these particular assets in those particular years,” Philp said.

But FACT said that explanation doesn’t pass the smell test.

“If these franchises have a value of more than $1,000, which they likely would base upon his use of them as loan collateral, he would be legally required to disclose them,” Arnold said.

An Office of Congressional Ethics investigation into Trone’s finances during his final months in Congress would be an ignominious end to a political career that held much promise at the beginning of 2024. Earlier this year, he was the running favorite to secure the Democratic nomination to take on former Maryland governor Larry Hogan (R.) for the state’s open Senate seat.

Trone led Alsobrooks, his African-American primary opponent, by a seemingly insurmountable 17 points in mid-February. But it all came crashing down for Trone starting in March, when he used the term “jigaboo,” a racial slur, during a hearing with Office of Management and Budget director Shalanda Young, who is black. The incident led several members of the Congressional Black Caucus to endorse Alsobrooks.

As Alsobrooks closed the polling gap against Trone, the congressman went on the offensive, casting his opponent as an inexperienced politician unprepared for the rigors of the Senate.

But Trone’s comments backfired, leading several former Maryland Democratic state party chairs to endorse Alsobrooks on the eve of the Maryland primary.

“David Trone has cast disparaging comments about women, inadvertently uttered racial slurs, and has denigrated public service. He will be challenged in building the statewide unity that is needed to win in November,” Maryland Democratic officials said in a statement days before the state’s primary election.

Trone ultimately suffered a blowout defeat, earning less than 43 percent of the vote compared with Alsobrooks’s 53 percent.

Trone’s office did not return a request for comment.

The post Outgoing Rep. David Trone Slapped With Ethics Complaint on Way Out the Door appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.

This summer will be a little sweeter at Prospect Park, as a new café is set to open at the park’s boathouse next week.

Starting on July 4, Purselane Cafe will serve up healthy food and snacks and coffee daily on the boathouse terrace. On select evenings, the eatery will also offer a selection of beer, wine, and summery cocktails.

The cafe will be operated by the hospitality group The Oberon Group — which runs local restaurants including Rucola, June, and Rhodora, as well as the zero-waste catering company with which the cafe shares its name. 

Purselane Cafe will only carry items that are sustainable, recyclable, and compostable. 

The menu includes hot and cold coffees and teas and baked goods including brownies, cookies, and croissants. The full food menu offers overnight oats, a frittata cooked with different ingredients daily, and sandwiches — including jerk chicken and chicken curry sandwiches.

“The Prospect Park Boathouse is one of the park’s most beloved and scenic destinations, and a historic landmark,” said Prospect Park Alliance president Morgan Monaco, in a statement. “The Alliance is dedicated to providing more food options in the park for the community, and Purslane Cafe will offer delicious, consciously sourced food and drinks for all to enjoy.”

Parkgoers can also expect to see occasional live concerts and pop-up events at the cafe, according to the Alliance.

Prospect Park — with its wide-open lawns and hiking trails — is affectionately known as Brooklyn’s Backyard, since it gives all Brooklynites a space to relax and enjoy the outdoors. But unlike a regular old backyard, the park has welcomed a number of popular eateries in recent years. 

Winner, a cafe from Michelin-star chef Daniel Eddy, opened in the Picnic House in 2022, and the Flatbush staple Lark Cafe opened on the Parade Grounds last year. 

“Brooklyn is The Oberon Group’s backyard and home to the majority of our restaurants, so we’re excited to be able to partner with Prospect Park Alliance and bring this new offering to such a historic part of the park,” said Henry Moynahan Rich, Managing Partner of The Oberon Group. “We’re thrilled to have this personal touch point between park visitors and Purslane, allowing people to interact with and learn about our mission to create a more sustainable food system.”

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