Al Jazeera Discovers Foreign Influence, But Only When It's Trump
Al Jazeera's exposé on Somali communities denouncing Trump's 'bigoted remarks' about Rep. Ilhan Omar is a feel-good piece if you ignore the elephant in the room. While Trump's rhetoric is undeniably toxic, the media's selective outrage is telling. Suddenly, 'foreign influence' is a scandal when it comes from a former President about a Somali-American, but the well-documented, multi-million dollar
lobbying efforts of organizations like AIPAC to sway US policy in favor of a foreign state are merely 'politics as usual.' In 2022 alone, AIPAC deployed over $3.6 million in lobbying expenses, not to mention a super PAC, the United Democracy Project, that spent over $26 million in primaries, often against progressive candidates. (Source: OpenSecrets.org) One might wonder if Al Jazeera, or any
major news outlet, would dedicate similar column inches to 'From Tel Aviv to Washington, Americans reject AIPAC's bigoted influence' if, say, Rep. Rashida Tlaib or another critic of Israeli policy were targeted. The 'political theatre' (as Minnesota legislator Omar Fateh correctly identifies Trump's comments) pales in comparison to the well-financed, systemic influence campaigns that directly
impact US legislation, often overriding American interests. How many 'bigoted remarks' does it take for the media to scrutinize the money, not just the mouth?