Is David Friedman Blowing Off Pledge To Meet With J Street?
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By Dave Goldiner March 9, 2017
As David Friedman prepares for a first Senate test of Donald Trump’s nominee to be ambassador to Israel on Thursday, J Street accused him of reneging on a pledge to meet with its leaders.
“Senators and other pro-Israel Americans should know before the final vote on your confirmation whether you stated willingness to meet with those you disagree is merely a ‘hearing room conversation,’ or whether you intend to make good on your representations to lawmakers,” J Street chief Jeremy Ben-Ami told Friedman in a letter.
Politico reported that J Street never heard back from Friedman after he told lawmakers he was open to a meeting.
Friedman faces an initial vote in a Senate committee Thursday on his nomination. Several Democrats have said they will vote against him but Republicans have the votes to approve him.
Friedman once branded J Street “kapos” and called the Anti-Defamation League “morons” for criticizing Israel and Trump.
But he mounted a charm offensive during Congressional hearings, claiming he changed his mind about those charges and asserting that he was open to pursuing a two-state solution, which he had repeatedly derided over the years.
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