WASHINGTON — Leaders of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, who had faced criticism for inviting Donald Trump to speak at their annual Washington mega-convention, this morning rebuked an unnamed GOP presidential candidate for saying unkind things about President Obama from their stage Monday night.
Trump, who gave a mostly scripted teleprompter speech, was reading a part of his prepared remarks that referred to Obama’s final year in office. When some in the crowd cheered, he said Obama “may be the worst thing to ever happen to Israel, believe me, believe me.”
“And you know it and you know it better than anybody,” Trump added.
He later called former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who addressed the conference Monday morning, “a total disaster,” adding “she and President Obama have treated Israel very, very badly.”
Before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) finished out the officially nonpartisan conference with their speeches this morning, AIPAC President Lillian Pinkus and other leaders of the organization took the stage.
“Last evening something occurred which has the potential to drive us apart, to divide us,” Pinkus said. “We say, unequivocally, that we do not countenance ad hominem attacks and we take great offense against those that are levied against the president of the United States of America from our stage.”
“While we may have policy differences, we deeply respect the office of the United States and our president, Barack Obama,” she continued, garnering significant applause. “There are people in our AIPAC family who were deeply hurt last night and for that we are deeply sorry.”
“We are disappointed that so many people applauded a sentiment that we neither agree with or condone.”
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