Rep. Josh Gottheimer publicly broke with members of his own party over the weekend, accusing Democrats of applying a political double standard when confronting antisemitism and extremist rhetoric.
In a New York Times op-ed published Sunday, the New Jersey Democrat criticized fellow Democrats for remaining silent about inflammatory comments from left-wing political figures while quickly condemning similar rhetoric from conservatives.
“Today, too many Democrats are noticeably and shamefully silent when antisemitism comes from the far left,” Gottheimer wrote. “It’s a glaring double standard.”
Gottheimer specifically pointed to left-wing online streamer Hasan Piker, a prominent progressive commentator with a large following among younger Democrats.
Piker has generated repeated controversy over past remarks involving America, Israel, Jews, and Republican politicians. Among the comments cited by Gottheimer were statements in which Piker said “America deserved 9/11,” described Hamas as “a thousand times better” than Israel, referred to Orthodox Jews as “inbred,” and discussed violence involving Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla.
Gottheimer said Democratic lawmakers privately acknowledge the rhetoric is unacceptable but refuse to condemn it publicly.
“I’ve spoken to congressional colleagues who have privately told me that many things Mr. Piker has said are disgusting,” Gottheimer wrote. “Yet they’ll say nothing about it in public, even as they rightly rush to condemn President Trump for his unending barrage of offensive comments.”
The congressman emphasized that his criticism was not about limiting speech rights.
Gottheimer acknowledged Piker is entitled to express his views under the First Amendment. However, he argued elected officials have a responsibility to clearly reject rhetoric they consider hateful or extremist regardless of political alignment.
“There should be one response to those who express hatred toward any American: condemnation,” Gottheimer wrote. “Hate is hate. It doesn’t get a pass because it comes from your side of the aisle.”
The comments highlight growing internal divisions among Democrats over antisemitism, Israel policy, and the influence of activist figures aligned with the progressive left.
Tensions inside the party have intensified since the Hamas attacks on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza, with some Democrats backing efforts to restrict military aid to Israel while others have defended continued support for the longtime U.S. ally.
Gottheimer also criticized colleagues who voted against military assistance to Israel while supporting aid packages for other countries with documented human rights concerns.
“If this is now the standard for supporting military aid and arms sales, then Democratic members of Congress should at least be consistent,” he wrote.
“Do they also believe we should block weapon sales to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey, given the history of human rights abuses in those countries?”
The New Jersey congressman’s remarks place him among a group of moderate Democrats increasingly frustrated with what they view as selective outrage and ideological inconsistency inside the party.
