Van Jones calls for conversation about 'anti-Jewish bigots' after Walz picked over Shapiro

CNN commentator Van Jones called for conversations about antisemitism in the Democratic party after Vice President Harris announced Tuesday that Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) would be her running mate in November.

“You can be for the Palestinians without being an anti-Jewish bigot, but there are some anti-Jewish bigots out there,” Jones said on Tuesday on CNN, following the announcement. “And there has to be conversations about how much of what just happened is caving into some of these darker parts in the party. So that's going to have to get worked out. It's going to have to get talked through.” 

“So here's the challenge you've got in this party, and people don't want to talk about it,” Jones continued. “We got to talk about it. On the one hand, you have a lot of young people concerned about Gaza. You have a lot of Muslims and Arabs and others. They have not felt seen by the Biden administration.” 

Jones suggested Harris choosing Walz over Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-Penn.) could be a nod toward that part of the party. 

Over the last two weeks, Harris’s top picks for vice president had narrowed to Walz, Shapiro and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.). Shapiro was widely viewed as a top candidate, who could help Harris carry Pennsylvania, a must-win state for her campaign. 

However, younger voters and progressives in the party balked at the Pennsylvania governor, who is Jewish, for his stance on the ongoing war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, as well as past support for the country.

A number of voices on the far left have also attacked Shapiro in recent weeks, accusing the governor of blindly supporting Israel’s aggressive military campaign in Gaza, a conflict has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to the local health ministry. Some have labeled him “Genocide Josh.”

The Keystone State governor has criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the past, and his positions on Israel are not vastly different from others in the Democratic party, leading to accusations that criticism of the Pennsylvania leader is antisemitic.

During the process, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) called out the critics for dissecting his resume in a way the other shortlisted VP candidates did not face. 

“It has been very noticeable that of all of the people that she is carefully considering, that the only Jewish candidate is getting excruciating, very specific scrutiny, particularly around his positions on Israel,” Wasserman Schultz said, a dynamic she called “deeply concerning.”

Republicans have also attacked Democrats for not picking Shapiro, saying it was evidence of antisemitism in the party. 

“This VP pick tells you more about who she didn’t pick,” Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) wrote on social media platform X. The path to victory was so obvious to anyone with a political brain. The fact that she didn’t pick Josh Shapiro is another red flag in the disturbing anti-semitic trend of the Progressive Democrats.” 

“The Left did it to Joe Lieberman.  Now, they did it to Josh Shapiro,” former Republican White House press secretary Ari Fleischer wrote. “The D party is not home for strong supporters of Israel.  It’s time for the Jewish community to recognize the power in the D party rests with its anti-Israel progressive base.” 

Bakari Sellers, another CNN political commentator, dismissed the accusations Tuesday, saying in an interview on CNN that it was “utter BS.” 

“I've seen people try to chastise the Democratic Party as being antisemitic because you didn't choose Josh Shapiro,” Sellers told CNN’s Jim Acosta. “And I'm just going to call that utter BS. There's no one who has stood with Israel when they were a member of the House of Representatives, like Governor Walz.” 

“I have to remind people who make these really sad tropes, dangerous remarks about the Democratic Party in Israel and anti-Semitism that Kamala Harris literally sleeps next to a Jewish man every night," he added.

Both Jones and Sellers also celebrated Harris's decision to elevate Walz, saying he was an “excellent choice.” 

“He is a positive populist,” Jones said. “I think that's going to be very, very difficult for the Republicans to deal with, because when they try to paint him as some crazy extremist, he doesn't come across that way at all.”

“I think JD Vance is going to look like an idiot trying to bait this guy,” he added.

Sellers, who is close to Harris, added that she was likely “more comfortable” with Walz than the other candidates in the running.

“I think she made the choice that fit best for her,” Walz said. “And I think people have to remember that this is a governing choice, and Kamala Harris, uniquely understands the role of Vice President better than anybody, because she's currently serving as Vice President to Joe Biden. And so I think this was a comfortable choice.”