Congressman Jerry Nadler is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which drafted the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. Nadler is now one of seven Congresspersons who will serve as prosecutors during the Senate trial. Congressman Nadler was born in Brooklyn to Jewish parents, and is the only current member of Congress to have a Yeshiva education. When Congressman Nadler ran for reelection in 2016, he faced primary opposition from Oliver Rosenberg, a gay Yeshiva University graduate who switched his registration from Republican to Democratic in 2012. Rosenberg was particularly critical of Nadler’s vote in favor of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. What famous person placed robocalls to district voters criticizing Nadler, who went on to win that primary and reelection to his 14th term?
U.S. Representative & Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler (D-NY) by U.S. House Office of Photography is in the public domain.
A. New York assemblyman Dov Hikind issued the robocall, saying “It’s a no-brainer that I’m going to vote for Rosenberg and everyone in my family is going to vote for him. One of the major reasons is we don’t forget that Nadler set the tone and played an important role in support for Obama in the Iran deal. We can disagree on most issues, but the Iran deal was a defining piece of legislation and it defined what Jerry Nadler was really all about. In our community, I can’t imagine anyone voting for Nadler.”
B. Howard Stern, famous shock jock and SiriusXM broadcaster, said the following on the robocall: “Hi New York. Yes, it’s me, Howard Stern calling you. Now I know you’re wondering why I would get involved in this election. Well, there’s two reasons. The first is that I love the idea of a gay Yeshiva bocher in Congress. Only in New York, am I right? And also, because I know that Iran is just waiting for any opportunity to blow us off the planet. And now Jerry Nadler has made that more likely. So I’m telling you. You have to vote for the gay Jew. Got it? Gay Jew for Congress!”
C. Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani recorded the robocall, saying, “I am America’s mayor. But more imporantly, I was New York’s mayor. So I know what’s best for New Yorkers. And what’s best is not Jerry Nadler, who just voted to sell out Israel, America’s greatest ally and such an important place for New York’s Jewish community. It’s time for New Yorkers to retire Jerry Nadler.”
D. Comedian Jackie Mason recorded the message, which said “You would never know he was a Jew all his life. By looking at him, you could tell he’s a little overweight, and he’s a little short...He winds up voting for something like the Iran deal. And you know what happens to the Jews? The Jews are facing the hydrogen bomb. No decent person would vote for Jerry Nadler.”
E. Donald Trump lent his support to Oliver Rosenberg, saying, “That’s right. It’s me, Donald Trump on this robot call. And yes, this is the perfect robot call. Like all my calls. This call is for you Jews, who unlike my son-in-law Jared, do not love Israel enough. I know many of you are in the real estate business. You’re brutal killers. Not nice people at all. But you have to vote for Oliver, you have no choice. Oliver is a great gay. I mean, a great guy. So believe me. You must not vote for Zaftig Nadler.”