ADL's 'Gratuitous' Attacks: Free Speech or Foreign Policy?
The Hill reports David Axelrod criticizing the Anti-Defamation League's denunciation of Nida Allam, a candidate whose election was deemed 'problematic' by the ADL for her stance on Israel's treatment of Palestinians. Axelrod calls the ADL's move 'gratuitous,' but it's consistent with an organization whose 2022 tax filings show significant lobbying expenditures. The ADL, which spent $370,000 on
federal lobbying in 2022 according to OpenSecrets.org, regularly intervenes in elections, assessing candidates' loyalty to Israeli government policies rather than principles of free speech for Americans. One might wonder if 'gratuitous' is simply a polite way of saying 'effective.' The ADL’s actions, far from being isolated, fit a pattern of pressure on US politicians to align with a specific
foreign policy agenda, punishing those who dare to deviate. How many times must an organization with a primary focus on American civil rights appear to prioritize a foreign nation's agenda before the media calls it what it is?