Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who plans to skip the upcoming state Democratic convention out of concern for her safety, blasted the state party Monday for not doing enough to combat antisemitism.
“Myself and other Jewish electeds are subjected to a barrage of antisemitic threats,” Nessel, a Democrat, said in an interview with MS NOW “State of Play” host Peter Alexander.
Nessel, who became the first Jewish person elected to statewide executive office in 2018, noted the threats are not a recent phenomenon but are now combined with a lack of “civil discourse” within the state Democratic Party, where many ideas are no longer “respected.”
“I would say absolutely they’re not” doing enough to address antisemitism, Nessel said of the Michigan Democratic Party.
The AG pointed out that five defendants hit with a federal indictment in June for their alleged roles in a conspiracy to threaten and harass the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit and “Democratic officials, some of whom are Jewish,” are members of the Michigan Democratic Party and would be allowed to attend the convention.
“Those people are still permitted to come to the convention. And it’s just baffling to me that while these charges are pending, they’re going to be allowed to be there despite, you know, these credible charges against them,” Nessel fumed.
In a statement, Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Curtis Hertel said the party was “appalled by the details of this indictment and the hateful, antisemitic threats that took place.”
“The Michigan Democratic Party condemns all acts of hatred and violence, which have no place in Michigan and should not be tolerated,” Hertel added.
Nessel urged the party to “enforce a code of conduct” at the convention that would bar activists from harassing attendees and booing people off the stage.
“We should all have the opportunity to be heard,” she said.
A party spokesperson told The Post that Michigan Dems “are committed to ensuring party-hosted events are safe and secure environments for all attendees.”
“We reject antisemitism, Islamophobia, and all forms of hateful conduct,” the spokesperson added. “We are working diligently with stakeholders, elected officials, and party membership to prepare for our August convention and look forward to welcoming Michigan Democrats to the Lansing Center on August 29.”
Nessel, who endorsed Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary race, also urged winner Abdul El-Sayed to “tone down his rhetoric” ahead of the general election.
“What I mean by that is that,” she explained, “you know, AIPAC, which many of us do not support or agree with, and Israel, which many of us who do not support or agree with their government or the actions of Benjamin Netanyahu, cannot be the central villain in literally every story.”
“If we’re talking about, you know, reforming healthcare, which all of us want to do in the party, you know, it’s not AIPAC that is responsible for the problems,” Nessel continued, referring to the pro-Israel group that El-Sayed constantly raged against in the primaries.
Nessel revealed that she plans to meet with El-Sayed and indicated she would advise him against talking about Israel and AIPAC “in response to every question.”
“I want to talk about some of the language [El-Sayed] uses on the campaign trail, and I also want to speak to him about some of the surrogates that he uses, that, you know, are are concerning to some people,” she said earlier in the interview, alluding to far-left streamer Hasan Piker.
Last month, Nessel announced that she would not attend the Aug. 29 Michigan Democratic Party nominating convention over fears she would get harassed.
“I feel like my presence isn’t going to be welcome. I don’t want to get chased around. I don’t want to get harassed. I don’t want to get yelled and screamed at. I don’t want to get booed off the stage, irrespective of what I’m saying,” she said at an event with Jewish leader, according to Michigan Advance. “And I believe that if I go, that is what will happen because it’s been happening to me.”
