Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., a member of the progressive “Squad,” mistakenly referred to two Jewish Democrats by the same first name during a public exchange on social media Tuesday. The situation escalated when Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., attempted to defend Lee, only to be reminded of her own voting history.
The exchange began after Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., criticized the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), characterizing them as socialists seeking to “hijack the Democratic Party” and not true Democrats.
Lee responded to Gottheimer by questioning his own record, asking, “What about Dems who sign bombs and vote to drop them?”
Gottheimer clarified that Lee was likely thinking of Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, who had autographed an artillery shell intended for Ukraine during a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in September 2024. Lee appeared to have conflated Shapiro with Gottheimer.
Omar then interjected on X, formerly Twitter, in an effort to support Lee. “He signed the bombs you voted to be dropped. Hope this helps!” Omar posted, seemingly believing the discussion was about Israel. This comment drew a community note on X pointing out Omar's voting record.
Gottheimer responded by posting a screenshot indicating that Omar herself had voted in favor of $60.8 billion in aid for Ukraine in April 2024. “Ilhan, you know who else voted for it? You,” Gottheimer wrote in reply to Omar.
Gottheimer, who has represented New Jersey’s 5th congressional district since 2017, has been a vocal critic of the DSA. He had recently amplified a warning from progressive pundit Van Jones about the rise of the far-left within the Democratic Party.
In a separate but related vote last week, 103 House Democrats supported an amendment to the annual defense bill that sought to strip $3.3 billion in aid to Israel. The amendment was introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.