Kamala Harris's new Arab outreach director, Brenda Abdelall, has sparked controversy over past comments about Zionist influence in American politics, adding to growing scrutiny of the Harris campaign’s advisers with anti-Israel stances.
Kamala Harris’s newly appointed Arab outreach director, Brenda Abdelall, reportedly stated that "Zionists" control much of American politics, according to a report by the Washington Free Beacon.
In a 2002 interview with the New York Sun, Abdelall, an Egyptian-American lawyer and former Department of Homeland Security official, said, "The Zionists have a strong voice in American politics... I would say they’re controlling a lot of it."
Abdelall's appointment adds to a group of Harris advisers who have faced scrutiny for their views on Israel and support for closer relations with Iran. These include Phil Gordon, Harris's national security adviser, who is under congressional investigation for ties to an Iranian influence network, and Ilan Goldenberg, her liaison to the Jewish community, who has ties to the controversial group J Street.
Additionally, Harris appointed Rev. Jen Butler, a critic of Israel, to lead faith-based outreach. Butler has been criticized for working alongside anti-Semitic activist Linda Sarsour.
Abdelall was hired last week to lead Arab American outreach for the Harris-Walz campaign, joining Muslim liaison Nasrina Bargzie, who has also been involved in anti-Israel activism and disputed claims of antisemitism by Jewish students on campus.
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