A progressive congresswoman is under fire after capitulating on a question about the perceived silence from some on the left in regards to Hamas terrorists sexually abusing Israeli women.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) was slammed by both Democrats and Republicans after she called for “balanced” criticism of the Israel-Hamas war during an interview with Dana Bash on CNN over the weekend.
On Tuesday’s show, Megyn was joined by Josh Hammer of Newsweek and Seth Mandel of Commentary to talk about Rep. Jayapal’s remarks and the anti-Israel politics of progressives in Congress today.
Rep. Jayapal on CNN
Rep. Jayapal, who is the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, appeared on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday to discuss the situation in the Middle East and the U.S. response to it. Bash specifically asked the congresswoman about the reaction – or lack thereof – from the progressive left when it comes to the atrocities and sexual violence Hamas terrorists carried out against Israeli women and girls.
Below is a portion of the exchange:
Bash: I’ve seen a lot of progressive women, generally speaking, they’re quick to defend women’s rights and speak out against using rape as a weapon of war but downright silent on what we saw on October 7 and what might be happening inside Gaza right now to these hostages. Why is that?
Rep. Jayapal: I mean, I don’t, I don’t know that that’s true. I think we always talk about the impact of war on women in particular… And I’ve condemned what Hamas has done. I’ve condemned all of the actions —
Bash: Specifically against women?
Rep. Jayapal: Absolutely. The rape, the — of course. But I think we have to remember that Israel is a democracy. That is why they are a strong ally of ours. And if they do not comply with international humanitarian law, they are bringing themselves to a place that makes it much more difficult strategically for them to be able to build the kinds of allies, to keep public opinion with them…
Bash: With respect, I was just asking about the women and you turned it back to Israel. I’m asking you about Hamas. In fact —
Rep. Jayapal: I already answered your question, Dana. I said it’s horrific. I said that rape is horrific. Sexual assault is horrific… However, I think we have to be balanced about bringing in the outrages against Palestinians…
Bash: And it’s horrible, but you don’t see Israeli soldiers raping Palestinian women.
Rep. Jayapal: Well, Dana, I think we’re not, we’re not – I don’t want this to be the hierarchy of oppression…
– December 3, 2023
The reaction to Rep. Jayapal’s equivocation was swift and severe from both sides of the aisle. “This is just a bridge too far,” Megyn said. “What kind of a person can’t look at the reports of what was done to those women in Israel and say anything other than, ‘I am horrified. This will be condemned immediately’?”
‘What About-ing’
In Mandel’s view, Rep. Jayapal and those who support Hamas have backed themselves into a corner. “You have to understand how people find a way to bring it back to criticism of Israel no matter what,” he explained. “You can’t actually defend anything that Hamas did, so you have two options: You can deny it or you can ‘what about it?'”
He said “what about-ing it” is exactly what Rep. Jayapal attempted to do in her response to Bash by ignoring the question about rape. “What you’re seeing is there’s just a total loss for words because what do you do if you are part of a progressive movement that holds that Hamas represents the oppressed and the Jews represent the oppressors,” Mandel asked. “If you believe that the uprising itself is justified, then you have to be able to pass whatever they do off as part of legitimate resistance.”
The Hierarchy of Oppression
Megyn admitted that she knew elements of the left like ‘The Squad’ were “radical,” but she said this interview is a “game changer” in the way she views them. “These are obvious war crimes, and there should be absolutely no hesitation… even if you accept in their view of the world that the war has been ongoing and that 10/7 wasn’t a terrorist attack,” she explained. “For an American woman, a representative from the state of Washington, to have any reaction other than ‘I am horrified by this, period’… is absolutely disgusting.”
Hammer pointed out that Rep. Jayapal is the same person who said she was “moved to tears” by the “deeply credible and brave testimony” of sexual assault accuser Christine Blasey Ford during the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. “’Believe All Women’ was the hashtag of the day,” he recalled. “Apparently, in retrospect, they should have added an asterisk to the end of that… and said ‘except for the Jews.'”
At the end of the day, the hypocrisy is telling. “They do not believe all women no matter their race, creed, color, ethnicity, religion, and so forth,” Hammer concluded. “It gets back to the ‘oppressed’ versus ‘oppressor’ status… [and the] hierarchy of oppression. That’s all these people actually believe in at the end of the day.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Hammer and Mandel by tuning in to episode 679 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.