Vance says Harris 'bent the knee to the Hamas caucus' by choosing Walz over Shapiro
Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, is accusing Vice President Kamala Harris of capitulating to radical left-wing voices in the Democratic Party in choosing her running mate for the November election.
"She bent the knee to the Hamas caucus of the Democratic Party," Vance said during a rally in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, on Wednesday.
He's the latest GOP critic to accuse Harris of choosing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate against former President Trump and Vance over Josh Shapiro, because the Pennsylvania governor is Jewish.
Former President Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., have also made the claim.
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"Whatever your views on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro – and obviously he's not in my political party. He's criticized me. I criticized him – the amount of rage that you heard from the far left saying, 'Kamala Harris can't pick this guy because he's Jewish,' is disgraceful," Vance said.
"I want my kids to grow up in a country where they can be whatever they want to be, and people aren't attacking them for their ethnic heritage, and that's somehow considered acceptable."
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"It's not just what these people said about Shapiro. It's the way that the Harris and the Harris administration and the Harris campaign refuse to push back against it. I think it's a real scandal," he said.
The Harris campaign did speak out against the allegations, however, telling the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, in part: "Assertions that Vice President Harris did not select Gov. Shapiro based on his religion or views on Israel are absolutely ridiculous and offensive."
Republicans have mostly reacted with a mix of glee and relief to Harris' decision to choose Walz over Shapiro, casting the Minnesota governor as a progressive radical for his COVID-19 policies, support for gender-affirming treatment for minors and government handouts to undocumented migrants.
Harris, whose husband is Jewish, is tasked with navigating the Democratic Party's ever-widening divisions over Israel, with a growing faction of progressives calling for the U.S. to distance itself from its close Middle Eastern ally.
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In the final days before her selection on Tuesday, Harris met with Shapiro, Walz and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly.
Shapiro was thought to be a frontrunner for the role as the governor of a key swing state.
But reports indicate that, in the end, Harris believed Walz would be a better fit due to his his personality and approach to the campaign.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign and Shapiro's office for comment on Vance's remarks.