Reid Hoffman Political Adviser: Progressive Rep. Tlaib Deserves Primary Challenge For Controversial Israel Comments

Forbes Business Breaking Reid Hoffman Political Adviser: Progressive Rep. Tlaib Deserves Primary Challenge For Controversial Israel Comments Sara Dorn Forbes Staff Politics Following Click to save this article. You’ll be asked to sign into your Forbes account.

Nov 2, 2023, 06:16pm EDT | Press play to listen to this article! Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman’s political adviser Dmitri Mehlhorn has approached a political action committee the billionaire entrepreneur supports about funding a primary challenge against Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich. ), who has been under fire for her controversial comments regarding U.

S. support for Israel in its war with Hamas, Mehlhorn told Forbes . Reid Hoffman speaks onstage at WIRED25 Festival: WIRED Celebrates 25th Anniversary – Day 1 on .

. . [+] October 13, 2018 in San Francisco, California.

(Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images) Getty Images for WIRED25 Key Facts Mehlhorn has reached out to the Mainstream Democrats PAC, which advocates to elect centrist Democrats, about financing a primary challenge to Tlaib, he told Forbes , citing her “inability to condemn October 7,” the day Hamas invaded Israel, and her refusal to acknowledge President Joe Biden’s “role in supporting Gaza civilians during this Israeli response,” referring to U. S. aid for civilians affected by Israeli counterattacks in Gaza.

Hoffman, the billionaire co-founder of LinkedIn and a major Democratic donor, has not been involved in Mehlhorn’s discussions with the PAC and has not taken sides regarding the politics surrounding the Israel-Hamas war, Mehlhorn said, noting “he is not the only major donor I advise, and my outreach to MDP was more generic. ” The outreach, however, is the latest sign that the issue has exposed bitter divisions within the party—mainstream Democrats, including Biden, have firmly avowed their allegiance to Israel, and progressives, such as Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American in Congress, have called for a cease-fire. Mehlhorn said he also inquired with the PAC about waging primary challenges to other Democrats, including progressive firebrand Rep.

Cori Bush (D-Mo. ), over her repeated calls to “defund the police,” a term once championed by progressives but one Democrats have largely shied away from. He is also targeting Sen.

Robert Menendez (D-N. J. ), who was indicted in September on corruption charges alleging he took hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for political favors (allegations he has denied).

Spokespeople for Hoffman and Mainstream Democrats could not immediately be reached for comment, and Mehlhorn declined to say how the PAC reacted to his inquiry. Big Number $1. 5 million.

That’s how much Hoffman has donated to Mainstream Democrats since it launched during the 2022 election cycle, according to CNBC , which first reported Mehlhorn’s inquiry. Hoffman led an effort to recruit other billionaires to help back the campaigns of centrist Democrats during the 2022 election on the grounds they had a better chance of defeating far-right candidates aligned with former President Donald Trump than progressives, the Washington Post reported. Forbes Valuation $2.

2 billion. That’s how much Hoffman is worth, according to Forbes valuation. Key Background Tlaib has come under fire from members of her own party for her refusal to firmly condemn Hamas’ invasion of Israel on October 7.

Despite the backlash, a resolution to censure Tlaib for her rhetoric failed to pass Wednesday as 23 Republicans voted alongside Democrats to table the measure. The resolution, introduced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.

), cited Tlaib’s involvement in a pro-Palestinian protest at the Capitol on October 7, where demonstrators called for a cease-fire and more than 300 who invaded the Cannon House Office Building were arrested, mostly for protesting inside of a Capitol building. Tlaib was also widely criticized for blaming Israel for a bombing at a hospital in Gaza, despite later assurances from Israeli and U. S.

intelligence that the attack was the result of a misfired rocket from the militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Her initial response to the October 7 Hamas attacks, which started the ongoing war, blasted the U. S.

for providing “billions in unconditional funding” to Israel to support what she called an “apartheid government,” she wrote in a statement. Further Reading Progressive Reps. Tlaib, Omar Criticized For Blaming Israel For Gaza Hospital Explosion (Forbes) Marjorie Taylor Greene Lashes Out At Republicans Who Opposed Her Tlaib Censure: ‘You Hate Trump’ (Forbes) House Shoots Down Censure Resolution Against Rashida Tlaib (Forbes) Follow me on Twitter .

Send me a secure tip . Sara Dorn Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.