CNN’s Van Jones Criticizes Senate Candidate El-Sayed Over Controversial Ad

On Monday’s episode of “CNN NewsNight,” Van Jones, a senior political commentator and former Obama administration official, spoke out about Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, urging him to reject an advertisement that attributes high costs to Israel. Jones emphasized that this ad dangerously implies, “because of the Jewish state, that’s why you’re suffering.” He further branded El-Sayed’s claim that spending on Israel is responsible for the state of U.S. schools as “nuts.”

Scott Jennings, also a senior political commentator and former Special Assistant to President George W. Bush, referenced El-Sayed’s earlier comments about victims causing harm to others in response to the Temple Israel attack. El-Sayed had been hesitant to label Iran as a greater threat than Israel. In response, Jones remarked, “The things that he said that Scott pointed out were terrible… But to say that he has not distanced himself from the Muslim Brotherhood is just not accurate. When you have the president of the United States claiming he’s going to open up the borders to jihadists, that’s a lie rooted in bigotry. He’s never made claims about allowing jihadists into the country, though he has made some misguided remarks about foreign policy.”

Jones expressed his displeasure with El-Sayed’s refusal to condemn the ayatollah. When the conversation shifted back to the controversial ad, Jones warned, “This is a very dangerous ad. It suggests that the struggles people face at the grocery store… are due to the U.S. aid to Israel. We allocate only a tiny fraction of our foreign assistance to Israel, yet this ad singles out the Jewish state. While the U.S. funds various global initiatives, it unjustly states that your suffering is because of the Jewish state. When this kind of rhetoric surfaces, it ignites hatred against Jews by blaming them for societal issues. This is a troubling trend. I’ve actively opposed anti-Muslim sentiments during this campaign. This ad represents anti-Jewish sentiment, and it should be condemned and taken down promptly. Abdul needs to denounce this ad without delay.”

Guest host Michael Smerconish interjected, noting that El-Sayed’s campaign has distanced itself from the ad. However, Jones countered, “They’ve distanced themselves. They haven’t denounced it.”

Later on, Jennings pointed out that El-Sayed had argued his campaign was unable to ensure quality education in the country due to funding the Iron Dome. Jones responded simply, “Which is nuts.”