Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Breaking News

John Boehner Admits Keeping Netanyahu Speech Secret To Stop White House From ‘Interfering’

John Boehner, the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, said he kept the White House out of the loop when he invited Benjamin Netanyahu to speak to Congress because he did not want it to interfere.

“I wanted to make sure that there was no interference,” Rep. Boehner (R-Ohio), said Sunday in an interview with Chris Wallace on the Fox News Channel.

Image by Getty Images

The White House and congressional Democrats have complained that Boehner and Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer did not consult with the White House or Democrats before organizing a speech to Congress to take place March 3.

Boehner said he wanted Netanyahu to speak in part because he wants him to rebut Obama’s claims that nuclear talks underway between Iran and the major powers are constructive.

“It is no secret here in Washington about the animosity this White House for Prime Minister Netanyahu,” he said. “I simply didn’t want them getting in the way and quashing what I thought was a real opportunity.”

It is protocol to consult with the White House about such invitations, and with leaders of both parties. Boehner issued the invitation in the name of both Democrats and Republicans, although he did not notify Democrats.

Three top Jewish Democrats in the House, Reps. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) and Ted Deutch wrote Boehner last week asking him to explain why he had asked Dermer to keep quiet about the speech. Those Democrats like many others have said they will attend the speech, but are dismayed by the circumstances of the invitation.

A number of other Democrats have said they may not attend the speech.

Last week, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) initiated a non-binding resolution that would welcome Netanyahu’s speech. That resolution, which now has 51 sponsors – all Republican – “eagerly awaits the address of Prime Minister Netanyahu before a joint session of the United States Congress.”

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said in a floor speech last week that lawmakers not attending the speech would send the wrong message to enemies of the United States and Israel.

“One of our strongest ally’s prime minister wants to speak before the Congress and they won’t even attend the speech?” he said. “What do you think the headlines will be read as in Iran, by the terrorists in Gaza, by the terrorists in Judea and Samaria, by the terrorists in all parts of the world, such as in Lebanon, who want to destroy Israel?”

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.