Why Progressive Legislators Live in Fear of AIPAC

There are a few ways to understand the political influence of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

You can look at the big picture to grasp the immense sums of money spent by AIPAC on lobbying. You can study it more granularly, looking at specific races where the pro-Israel group has recruited and funded winning candidates.

Or you can listen to the words of progressive legislators who fear they’ll suffer the same fate as Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., who was ousted in the Democratic primary after AIPAC’s super PAC, United Democracy Project, poured millions of dollars into the race.

“I interviewed Rep. Delia Ramirez at the DNC who said to me that she has had conversations with multiple people in Congress — other members — who have said, ‘I don’t want them to Jamaal me,’ referring to what happened to Bowman in his race,” says The Intercept’s Akela Lacy in this episode of The Intercept Briefing.

“Not only are they concerned about what AIPAC could do to them if they come out against Israel,” Lacy says in a conversation with The Intercept’s Jessica Washington, “but what will AIPAC do to them if they stay silent?”

Listen to learn more about how AIPAC uses its influence to push American elected officials into policies that benefit Israel.