WASHINGTON -- Democratic Reps. Betty McCollum and Keith Ellison will skip a planned address by Israeli Prime MInister Benjamin Netanyahu to Congress next month.
Netanyahu accepted an invitation to address Congress by GOP House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader MItch McConnell. Netanyahu has said, among other issues, he will talk about his concerns with President Barack Obama's current talks with Iran over its nuclear programs.
"I find it very disturbing when a foreign leader in the midst of a campaign for re-election is allowed to address Congress for the sole purpose of undermining a foreign policy priority shared by the Obama administration and our European allies to score political points at home," said McCollum, who represents St. Paul, in a statement last night.
Netanyahu's planned speech to Congress is March 3. Election day in Israel is March 17.
In an interview Tuesday, Ellison said he was planning on skipping the speech as well. He was circulating a letter "signed by 20 or so" to urge Speaker Boehner to postpone the speech, he said.
"At the end of the day, the timing is all wrong. There are two problems, the US congress is being inserted in an Israeli election and that he is speaking when we're having a domestic policy debate regarding Iranian sanctions," he said. "I've criticized President Bush as much as anyone, but I always understood he was the president of the United States ... This is a very disrespectful thing to do to the office of the presidency."
Democratic Rep. Rick Nolan's office said he planned to attend the speech. Democratic Rep. Tim Walz's office didn't respond for a comment. Both offices of Sens. Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar said the leaders had not made any decisions yet.
