Hill Harper: Democratic Senate candidate claims he rejected $20M offer to run against Rep Rashida Tlaib
WASHINGTON, DC: Hill Harper, a Democratic candidate for US Senate, has claimed that he rejected a $20 million offer by a major donor to a pro-Israel political action committee to run against Representative Rashida Tlaib, apparently telling the potential benefactor that he can't be "bought."
Tlaib courted controversy earlier this month over her incendiary comments on the Israel-Hamas conflict, leading the House of Representatives to censure the Michigan Democrat on a 234 to 188 vote.
Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress, sparked outrage after appearing to defend the controversial slogan, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," while urging her fellow lawmakers to join her calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Hill Harper's revelation
According to Newsweek, Hill Harper is well known for his roles on CBS' 'CSI: NY' and the ABC drama 'The Good Doctor'. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the Senate hopeful claimed that one of the "biggest donors" for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) had offered him $20 million to run against Tlaib.
Sharing a Politico article on the subject, Harper insisted that he declined the offer from the pro-Israel political action committee donor.
"I didn't intend for a private phone call to turn public," the Senate candidate posted. "But now that it has, here's the truth. One of AIPAC's biggest donors offered $20m if I dropped out of the U.S. Senate race to run against @RashidaTlaib. I said no. I won't be bossed, bullied, or bought."
I didn’t intend for a private phone call to turn public. But now that it has, here’s the truth.
— Hill Harper (@hillharper) November 22, 2023
One of AIPAC’s biggest donors offered $20m if I dropped out of the U.S. Senate race to run against @RashidaTlaib.
I said no. I won’t be bossed, bullied, or bought. https://t.co/Ji76jwPE3X
However, AIPAC spokesperson Marshall Wittmann told Newsweek in an email on Wednesday night, November 22, that "AIPAC was absolutely not involved in any way in this matter." He added, "Also, our records indicate that this individual has not contributed to AIPAC in over a decade."
Speaking to The New York Times, Karthik Ganapathy, a spokesman for Harper's campaign, claimed that it was Michigan businessman Linden Nelson who made the campaign funding offer to the candidate in October.
Harper harped on about the issue in a subsequent post, insisting that he was running for the Senate in a bid to "break the stranglehold" powerful lobby groups have on US politicians, including the "Israel lobby." He added, "I'm not going to run against the only Palestinian-American in Congress just because some special interests don't like her."
It's worth noting that Tlaib has previously called the war a "genocide" of Palestinians, albeit she has condemned Hamas' attacks on Israeli citizens.
The Israel-Hamas conflict
The militant group launched an unprovoked attack on southern Israel on October 7, causing the nation to subsequently declare war on Hamas -- unleashing a barrage of airstrikes and a ground offensive in Gaza while cutting off supplies of water, food, and electricity to the volatile region.
The Israeli government ultimately agreed to a ceasefire on Tuesday, November 21, after striking a deal with Hamas that called for the release of hostages being held by the Palestinian group in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas and its allied Palestinian factions reportedly took more than 240 captives of various nationalities amid an October assault in which authorities estimate about 1,200 people were killed in Israel.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said that more than 12,700 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza. Meanwhile, officials believe around 4,000 people are missing in the area, as reported by the Associated Press.