The campaign for Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y) is threatening a defamation lawsuit against his opponent, Westchester County Executive George Latimer, over an accusation that Bowman took money from Hamas.
David Mitrani, a lawyer representing the Bowman campaign, sent a letter to the Latimer campaign Tuesday demanding the candidate retract the accusation that Bowman received money from the terrorist group.
“This statement – that the Congressman’s campaign has taken ‘money from Hamas’ is false,” Mitrani wrote in the letter obtained by The Hill. “Mr. Latimer and the campaign are now on notice that this statement is false. We demand that Mr. Latimer retract his statement, as it is false. Failure to do so – or continued repetition of this false statement with knowledge that it is false and without merit may result in liability for Mr. Latimer and for the campaign.”
“Contributions by foreign nationals are prohibited in United States political campaigns under the Federal Election Campaign Act,” Mitrani continued. “In making the statement that Jamaal Bowman for Congress has taken money from a foreign organization or from foreign individuals, Mr. Latimer has accused the campaign of violating the Federal Election Campaign Act. This false statement may be actionable as defamation per-se.”
Latimer reportedly accused the New York lawmaker of taking money from Hamas, Black Westchester magazine reported on Monday.
The outlet reported that Latimer made the accusation while speaking to a woman at the 12th Annual Black History Month Celebration at New Rochelle High School.
She asked the Westchester County executive about his connection with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, whose political action commitee endorsed Latimer on Jan. 25. She said the committee is “supporting problematic right-wing conspiracy theorist-type Republicans” and “pitting two marginalized groups against one another – Blacks and Jews,” according to City & State.
AIPAC was Latimer biggest donor in the last quarter of 2023. The group gave him $600,000, according to campaign finance reports.
After the woman said that Latimer is “taking money from the devil” for the backing he was getting from AIPAC, Latimer fired back, pinning Bowman to Hamas.
“Bowman is taking money from the devil too, he (is) taking money from Hamas,” Latimer said, according to City & State.
The outlet also reported that when the woman asked for evidence, Latimer later emailed her an article from the Washington Free Beacon where the outlet detailed a fundraiser in Los Angeles for Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) and Bowman hosted by left-wing activists. The article does not suggest that Hamas donated to Bowman’s reelection campaign.
In response to the letter sent by Bowman’s attorney, Latimer’s campaign said the threat is a “baseless attack from the scandal-plagued Jamaal Bowman.”
“On the specific issue for which Mr. Bowman is threatening to run to the courts, it is clear that he has accepted support from those who both cheered on and tried to justify Hamas’ unspeakable acts of terrorism, which Mr. Bowman does not deny,” the campaign said.
Bowman, who represents parts of Westchester and the Bronx, is running for reelection and fending off a Democratic primary challenge from Latimer.
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