Rivals in toss-up district back Israel: Dem is cautious, Republican is firm
Laura Gillen says, I am not an expert; Anthony D’Esposito says, Take out nukes
The tens of millions of dollars in nasty TV commercials haven’t mentioned Israel or antisemitism, but to many voters in Nassau County’s 4th Congressional District those are the issues that will determine how they vote.
The contest between one-term incumbent Republican Anthony D’Esposito and Democrat Laura Gillen, the former Town of Hempstead Supervisor, is considered a toss-up, which is why both parties have committed massive resources to each race.
D’Esposito defeated Gillen two years ago, 51.8 to 48.2 percent. In 2020, Joe Biden carried the district, 55.6 to 43.4 percent, as incumbent Democratic Rep. Kathleen Rice defeated Republican Douglas Truman by a similar margin.
Both Gillen and D’Esposito told The Jewish Star they are strongly committed to Israel as well as to the fight against antisemitism in the United States. But during separate interviews in the newspaper’s offices in Garden City last week, they voiced the extent of their resolve in different ways.
This is how Gillen responded when asked if she would give “a blank check to Israel to continue its fight in Gaza, in Lebanon, and ultimately in Iran itself”:
“This is the time to stand strong in the face of Iranian aggression. In terms of what kind of a check that would look like, obviously it would be something that would have to be voted on in Congress.”
Asked if she agrees with President Biden’s expressed opposition to an Israeli strike on the Iranian nuclear reactor or its oil port, she suggested that she didn’t know enough to say.
“I am not an expert on military actions, neither is my opponent, and I think you have to have full briefings on what the strategic and the geopolitical impacts of certain attacks would be,” she said. “I don’t think it’s appropriate for someone who doesn’t have access to that information to commit to voting for one action or the other.”
D’Esposito said his position is that the US “needs to continue to provide every resource necessary to Israel to eradicate Hamas and any terrorist organization or terrorist proxy of Iran.”
Israel’s next step “should be to take out Iran’s nuclear capabilities,” he said.
Both candidates blamed Hamas for the war and the lives lost since Oct. 7.
Referring to the death toll in Gaza, Gillen said, “We don’t want to see innocent people die. However, we had an unprovoked attack on Israel that was started by Hamas. Hamas started this conflict. Hamas is a terrorist organization that does not care about its own people and deliberately puts its own civilians in harm’s way to fight a PR war against Israel. So we have to look at who is the cause of all this suffering, and it’s Hamas, and it’s Iran, because Iran has been backing Hamas for decades.”
“I’m steadfast in my commitment to making sure that Israel has the right to defend itself and that Israel continues to exist as a nation,” she said.
D’Esposito was asked, “In light of the large number of civilian deaths in Gaza, possibly now in Lebanon, do you have any reservations about how Israel is conducting its campaign?”
“Absolutely not,” he said.
Each candidate was questioned about the top of their tickets. While Trump is hugely popular in the district’s Orthodox communities including the Five Towns, there’s less love for the former president elsewhere in the 4th CD where Vice President Kamala Harris appears to have more support.
While D’Esposito at first said he didn’t want to talk about Trump — “the conversation that we’re having today is about the work that I’ve done; if we want to talk about what President Trump has done, we should talk to President Trump,” he said — he vigorously affirmed his allegiance to the former president.
“There been very few individuals that have done more for the State of Israel than President Trump,” D’Esposito said. “You may not like who he surrounds himself with. You may not like his tweets. You may not like his red hats. You may not like some of the things he says. But when you look at facts and you want to compare Kamala Harris to President Trump … there is no comparison between the two.”
The Jewish Star asked Gillen:
“Lots of people in the Orthodox community in the Five Towns have what appears to be a visceral distrust of Democrats. Can you understand why they have this distrust of Democrats generically, not speaking of you in particular, and why many of them totally support former President Trump in this election?”
Gillen responded:
“I can’t speculate why people have certain beliefs. What I can say is that I have been consistent in expressing support for Israel. I’ve been endorsed by [Rep.] Ritchie Torres [of the Bronx], who is a Democrat, who … has stood steadfast with the nation of Israel, and I’m very proud of that endorsement, and that’s where I stand. I’m steadfast in my commitment to making sure that Israel has the right to defend itself and that Israel continues to exist as a nation.”
Gillen was asked, “Can you understand why some people support President Trump, given his history overall as president?”
“I don’t think it’s for me to judge who people support one way or the other,” she said. “I do think that a great, significant achievement of the Trump administration was the Abraham Accords and trying to normalize relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors. It’s unfortunate that now that progress seems to have been put far back because of the actions of Hamas.”
What about the Democratic Party’s tolerance of radical members of its Congressional “Squad” and others who are unfriendly to Israel and possibly antisemitic?
The Jewish Star referenced Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib. After an uproar followed her antisemitic comments, Congressional Democrats declined to explicitly criticize the antisemitic nature of what Tlaib said, instead resorting to expressing disapproval about hate speech in general.
“I think hate speech and violence caused by prejudice against one ethnic group, one religious group, is wrong on all accounts,” Gillen said.
She was asked, “What type of relationship do you see yourself having with people in the Squad, and particularly Rep. Talib?”
“I’m going to talk to anybody in Congress about why I think it’s really important to take action against antisemitism, about why we need to defend Israel as our ally in the Middle East. So I would have a dialog with Ms. Talib.
“I don’t know if we would agree on many things, but I certainly would have a dialog with her and try to persuade her why I think certain actions should be taken, why we should fund Israel. Again, I don’t know if we’ll agree on much, but I would talk to anyone on either side of the aisle.”
Asked again about Talib, Gillen said, “I don’t know if I’m going to name call her, but I do believe that she is expressing troubling views. In my opinion, yes, antisemitic troubling views.”
D’Esposito was asked whether he understood why some Jews plan to vote for Harris.
“Do I understand it? No,” he said.
What about Trump’s legal problems and his support for people convicted of Jan. 6 offenses?
“I’ve said from day one that Jan. 6 was a dark day in American history,” D’Esposito said. “I’ve said over and over again that the individuals who committed crimes on Jan. 6 should be held accountable. And most recently, I joined Republicans and Democrats, probably against the will of our own party, to sign what’s called the Unity Pledge. We signed this pledge saying that following the election and moving into certifying the election, once every legal avenue has been exhausted, we will certify the election. I’ve made it very clear where I stand on law and order. I’ve made it very clear about Jan. 6, it was a dark day.”
Earlier this year, aid to Israel was delayed when House Republicans complained about linking support for Israel with backing for Ukraine. D’Esposito said he objected to the delay, and that “I supported the package that brought aid to the Indo-Pacific, to Israel and to Ukraine.”
“The Biden administration has been perceived as weak across the world,” he said. “I don’t believe we would have seen a Chinese spy balloon fly across the United States if we had different leadership. I don’t believe that Russia would be as aggressive as they are with Ukraine if we had stronger leadership. I don’t believe that Oct. 7th would have happened if we had stronger leadership.”
