Why Is This Jewish Politician First In Line For Money From ‘Alt-Right’ Conspiracy Theorists?
Ohio senate candidate Josh Mandel has agreed to accept the first endorsement from a new political fundraising group put together by conspiracy theorists, a move that deepens an unlikely relationship between a Jewish politician and the “alt-right,” an amorphous political movement that has anti-Semitic elements.
On October 4, Mike Cernovich and Jack Posobiec launched the Super PAC #REV18 with the goal of advancing anti-establishment Republican candidates in the mold of President Donald Trump. Mandel, Ohio’s state treasurer and the putative Republican candidate against Senator Sherrod Brown in the 2018 elections, is the group’s first beneficiary.
Cernovich, who prefers to describes himself as “new right” rather than “alt-right,” is a leading social media voice of the movement who has used his platform to spread mostly-unsubstantiated rumors and claims against Democrats and to launch campaigns targeting feminists and establishment Republicans. Posobiec is an online provocateur who mixes journalism and pro-Trump activism while disseminating conspiracy theories involving Democrats and anti-Trump activists.
Mandel, 40, had publicly allied himself with them even before they created the PAC. Mandel defended them when the Anti-Defamation League had put Cernovich and Posobiec’s names on a list of provocateurs, dubbing them “alt-light,” a term referring to far right activists who “generally shun white supremacist thinking, but who are in step with the ‘alt-right’ in their hatred of feminists and immigrants, among others.” Mandel sided with the Cernovich and Posobiec and attacked a national Jewish organization:
>Sad to see @ADL_National become a partisan witchhunt group targeting people for political beliefs. I stand with @Cernovich & @JackPosobiect.co
By taking money from #REV18, Mandel is sharpening his credentials in the emerging wing of the Republican party led by Steve Bannon, the financier-turned-publisher-turned-political kingmaker who made Breitbart into a “platform for the alt-right.” Bannon has already proven his ability to launch candidates by backing the successful dark-horse candidacy of Roy Moore in Alabama’s Republican senate primary race.
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The new Super PAC, according to its founders, is currently made up of a $50,000 donation put up by Jeff Giesea, the third co-founder who had worked in the past with the Koch brothers and with Peter Thiel. “We expect major donors come in soon but we want to prove the model and get the grassroots involved first,” he told the Atlantic. “It’s safe to say we are broadly aligned with Team Bannon.”
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Treasurer Josh Mandel Responds to BDS Movement With Largest Purchase of Israel Bonds in American History - $61 Million
The Ohio Treasurer’s office bought a record $61 million in Israel bonds April 3, which Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel said is in response to the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. The purchase is the largest single government purchase of Israel bonds in history and Ohio has the largest holding of Israel bonds by a single entity at $165 million.
“First and foremost, we are making this investment because it’s a good investment for the taxpayers of Ohio,” Mandel, a Beachwood resident, told the Cleveland Jewish News. “Second, we are making this investment in an effort to combat the bigotry of the BDS movement. Third, we are making this investment to stand with the only country in the Middle East that shares American values.”
