Congressman John Larson and his three challengers in next month’s Democratic Party primary clashed over U.S. military aid to Israel and several other topics in a televised debate on WTNH News 8 Tuesday night.
“Yes, I voted in favor of making sure that Israel, our ally, is going to get the aid from the United States that it needs. But the Palestinians need humanitarian aid, and Donald Trump has got to enforce the law,” Larson said in defense of his recent vote in support of U.S. military aid to Israel, an issue that has divided Democrats in Congress.
“Trusting Donald Trump to do the right thing is a mind-blowing example of putting hope over all of the evidence in front of us,” responded Luke Bronin, a former mayor of Hartford.
Bronin said he does not support U.S. funding of offensive weapons but does support defensive weapons.
“This has been determined by the U.N. under international law that what’s happening over there is a genocide. And so our American taxpayer dollars should not be going to that cause,” State Representative Gillian Gilchrest said, taking issue with both Larson and Bronin.
Ruth Fortune, a Hartford lawyer and member of the city’s Board of Education, went further.
“We know that these weapons are not being only used to defend themselves,” Fortune said. “So when you say you want only defense support, Israel would say everything they are doing right now is defensive.”
The candidates also differed on other issues, including how best to get money out of politics and whether there should be a retirement age for politicians.
But they did agree on abolishing ICE and Medicare for all.
The First Congressional District Democratic Party Primary is on August 11.
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