WH won't comment on House Dems who plan to boycott Israeli president's speech to Congress

At the White House briefing on Tuesday, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre wouldn’t comment on remarks made by Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., that were critical of Israel or reported plans by other House Democrats not to attend Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s address to Congress on Wednesday. Responding to the question from Yahoo News Senior White House Correspondent Alexander Nazaryan, Jean-Pierre affirmed President Biden’s and the administration’s commitment to Israel.

Video Transcript

- There are, I think, four members of the House who are going to boycott President Herzog's address tomorrow. And one of them, Representative Cori Bush, said that the Israeli government is enforcing an apartheid state and that it shows no respect for human rights. So by your definition, is what Representative Bush said anti-Semitic?

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: Look, what I can say is that the president has a longstanding relationship with Israel. He is committed to their security, committed to continuing that relationship. Hence, why he is meeting with the president of Israel. And so that is what's important.

I cannot speak to other Congressional members in the House. That is for them to speak to why they choose to boycott or to do whatever it is that they're doing today. But what we can speak to is our commitment, our longstanding commitment to Israel, our longstanding support to Israel. And that is something that the president will continue to be committed to.