N.Y. Senate Republicans want Democratic Socialist members out over group's support of Palestine

Alex Gault, Watertown Daily Times, N.Y.
·2 min read
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Oct. 12—ALBANY — State Senate Republicans are calling for the expulsion of a group of three of their Democratic colleagues who are part of the Democratic Socialists of America.

It's one part of the firestorm that has grown over the New York City chapter's decision to promote a pro-Palestine rally in the wake of Hamas' attacks on Israeli communities over the weekend. In Congress on Thursday, a coalition of New York's Republican representatives including Claudia L. Tenney, Canandaigua, Elise M. Stefanik, Willsboro, Marcus J. Molinaro, Tivoli, and Nicholas A. Langworthy, Jamestown, joined onto a resolution written by Michael V. Lawler, Pearl River, to condemn the NYC DSA chapter over its promotion of the protest.

There are three Democratic state senators who campaigned as members of the DSA; Julia Salazar, Brooklyn, Jabari Brisport, Brooklyn, and Kristen S. Gonzalez, Queens. All three were elected as Democrats and Working Families party members.

In a letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Andrea A. Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers, the Senate Republicans requested that the leader immediately strip the three senators of their committee assignments and leadership roles.

Salazar serves as the chair of the Majority Steering Committee and chairs the Senate Committee on Crime Victims, Crime and Corrections. Brisport chairs the Senate Committee on Children and Families, and Gonzalez chairs the Senate Internet and Technology Committee.

Additionally, the Senate Republicans requested that Stewart-Cousins call a special session and vote to expel the three senators from the Senate entirely.

"It is our conference's opinion that these individuals have disqualified themselves by standing in support of war crimes, terrorism and a terrorist group, over our allies, the nation of Israel," the letter reads. "Their unwillingness to condemn the rally and the DSA shows a lack of moral judgement at best and anti-Semitism at worst."

The letter was signed by every Republican state senator in New York.