House Republican campaign chief defends anti-Soros ads

Oct. 28, 2018 / 3:43 PM GMT

by Ben Kamisar

WASHINGTON – Ohio Rep. Steve Stivers, chairman of the House GOP campaign arm, defended the group's repeated criticism of billionaire liberal donor George Soros in campaign ads on Sunday.

The National Republican Congressional Committee Minnesota's First Congressional District tying the Democratic candidate, Dan Feehan, to Soros. Feehan worked at the Center for New American Security, a think-tank that received funding from Soros.

The first ad, which began running the middle of this month, shows Soros sitting behind a pile of money as the words "connoisseur of chaos" show on the screen.

A more recent event was launched at Soros' home, one of more than a dozen sent to Democratic officials and other critics of President Donald Trump.

When asked about the ads, Stivers noted that the group 's independent expenditure staff, which creates the ads, is being marketed by the committee. But he defended the ad as "factual."

"This is a factual ad," he said, "It's a factual ad," he said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."

But the ad contains the kind of criticism that prompts U.S. Jewish leader said to be evocative of anti-Semitic attacks.

"Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said on" Meet the Press. "

"And they think it's normal and permissible to talk about Jewish conspiracies manipulating events or Jewish financial controlling activities."

While not specifically addressing the NRCC ads, Greenblatt said that "the attacks on George Soros are appalling and the continuing invocation of classic anti-Semitic themes."

During the meeting of his Democratic counterpart, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Ben Ray Luján, in New Mexico congressman, the two agreed that both sides have a role to play in political rhetoric tamping down.

But they do not stop there, but their parts for their contributions to the political rhetoric.

Stivers noted that his group of followers of a New Jersey congressional candidate who repeatedly criticized diversity and shared racial comments on Twitter, in return accusing Democrats of backing candidates "who have said bigoted and anti-Semitic things."

"We all need to keep our civil dialogue," he said. "We are the only major party committee to cut off a candidate for their behavior."

"We all bear some responsibility and we need to try to make it easier for our Congress and, frankly, to our dialogue."

In his criticism of the DCCC, Stivers specifically named Virginia Democrat Leslie Cockburn and Pennsylvania Democrat Scott Wallace.

Cockburn has been attacked for a book she wrote that the New York Times referred to as "Israel-bashing for its own sake."

Republicans have gotten to know Cockburn's anti-Semitic, a charge that she may be critical of Israel but still supports it and Palestinians. She's also pointed to her endorsement from J Street, a liberal-leaning Jewish group.

Wallace has been dogged by a donation of his family to a group that supports boycotting Israel to criticize its treatment of Palestinians. The controversy initially cost Wallace the endorsement of a local Jewish group, which later changed race and endorsed him.

Wallace, who has had no direct control over the donation and the boycotts, is also endorsed by J Street.

After Stivers criticized the DCCC for "sleazy and personal" ads against candidates in Colorado and Washington, Luján countered by calling some of the NRCC's "racist attacks."

"Steve, you've been running in New York, in Cincinnati, Ohio and out in California." You can do something to pull those down, "Luján said.

"I think, we're all right, Steve, let's make sure we're doing it ourselves."

The Democrat's New York refers to the attacking Antonio Delgado, the Democratic candidate in New York's 19th Congressional District.