A social media exchange between two far-left House Democrats and Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., drew attention this week after one lawmaker confused him with another Jewish Democrat named Josh, and Gottheimer used their own voting record to counter the attack.
The clash began when Gottheimer criticized the influence of democratic socialists within the Democratic Party in a post on X. "The DSA are not Democrats. They're socialists, who want to hijack the Democratic Party," he wrote Monday. He added that while the party embraces a range of ideas, "there's no room for anti-American bomb-throwers."
Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., responded by accusing Gottheimer of being among Democrats who "sign bombs and vote to drop them" — apparently confusing him with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Shapiro signed an artillery shell bound for Ukraine during President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's 2024 visit to Pennsylvania, a fact noted in news reports at the time.
What the Left Is Saying
Lee's initial attack reflected broader concerns among progressive Democrats about U.S. military aid to Ukraine and Israel. "You know that's the other Jewish guy named Josh, right?" Gottheimer responded publicly.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., entered the exchange to defend Lee, writing that Shapiro had signed "the bombs you voted to be dropped." Neither Omar nor Lee identified a specific vote in their posts.
Progressive Democrats have argued that U.S. foreign aid priorities should be reexamined. The Massie amendment they supported would have prohibited funds from being used for Israel and reduced the foreign military financing account by $3.3 billion.
What the Right Is Saying
Gottheimer turned the accusation back on both lawmakers by noting their own votes for a $60.8 billion Ukraine aid package that passed in April 2024. "Ilhan, you know who else voted for it?" he wrote, including a screenshot of the official House roll call for H.R. 8035. "You."
In a May New York Times opinion piece cited by multiple outlets, Gottheimer argued that Democrats routinely condemn antisemitism from the political right but are too often silent when it emerges from the far left — what he called a "glaring double standard."
The dispute reflects widening divisions within the Democratic Party over support for Israel and standards for addressing antisemitism.
What the Numbers Show
According to the official House roll call, Lee and Omar were among 103 Democrats who voted last week for Rep. Thomas Massie's amendment to cut $3.3 billion in U.S. aid to Israel. That amendment failed.
Gottheimer voted against the Massie amendment. The underlying vote count showed a clear partisan split on foreign military financing.
The April 2024 Ukraine aid vote on H.R. 8035 passed with bipartisan support, with both Lee and Omar voting in favor of the $60.8 billion package before criticizing Shapiro's symbolic gesture at the Zelenskyy visit.
The Bottom Line
The exchange illustrates deepening fractures within the Democratic Party over foreign policy priorities and how antisemitism is addressed across the political spectrum. Gottheimer has made the double-standard argument a regular part of his public commentary, while progressive lawmakers have defended their positions on military aid as consistent with their values. Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Gottheimer, Lee, and Omar for additional comment but did not receive responses in time for publication.