TOMS RIVER, NJ – U.S. Congressman Andy Kim, who was accused of using Jewish “dog whistles” in his 2020 campaign against Jewish businessman David Richter, today has declared the words “Lakewood Style Development” being used in campaign material by members of the Toms River Council are nothing more than hate speech.
In 2017, Toms River Democrats Laurie Huryk and Terrance Turnbach sent out mailers and fake newspapers to the town that said Republicans in town, Al Manforti and Kevin Geoghegan support “Lakewood Style Development”. Now, Kim says Republican Daniel Rodrick’s use of the words in campaign mailers this past June is just another word for “Jews”.
“Our community, like communities throughout the country, has seen an unfortunate and disturbing rise in anti-Semitic language and behavior,” Kim said. “We have a responsibility to condemn this when we see it. It is why I strongly condemn the campaign tactics of stoking fear and hate by Daniel Rodrick and Justin Lamb earlier this summer.”
In 2020 Kim’s camp, through his key D.C. ally Nancy Pelosi sent out mailers that depicted his opponent David Richter, a Jewish business owner in a suit, lining his pockets with money.
“The photo-shopped caricatures of me portrayed in these mailers, always surrounded by piles of cash, is a well-known dog whistle to those who want to further divide our country in hate and stir up resentment against me and other candidates that are Jewish,” said Richter during the campaign.
Kim’s campaign literature had Richer’s head Photoshopped onto another person’s body in an attempt to depict him as a greedy, money-hungry Jewish businessman.
“Andy Kim claims to be a leader, well now is the chance for him to lead. Kim should immediately and publicly disavow these anti-Semitic ads and reject any further support from the House Majority PAC,” Richter said. “I also call on Nancy Pelosi to immediately issue an apology to every one of the Jewish faith for allowing these disgraceful mailers to be sent to voters in my district.”
No apology ever came.
Rodrick said, after a paid-hit job by politically funded reporter Karen Wall at the Toms River Patch that his campaign mailers are not codewords for Jewish residents, but literally refers to the rampant over development and high-density housing that turned Lakewood into one of New Jersey’s largest cities over the past two decades and nothing more. Such overdevelopment has been championed by Toms River Mayor Maurice Hill and township council members who are seeking to build 7 to 10 story apartment buildings in Downtown Toms River.
“I have never written or said anything anti-semitic. Opposing Lakewood-style, high-density development is not antisemitic nor is opposing a reduction in the acreage requirement for houses of worship,” Rodrick replied. “Residents don’t want traffic and commercial activity in their residential neighborhoods. Residents overwhelmingly supported me in the primary. They are not antisemitic and neither am I.”
Wall and Patch were paid thousands of dollars in campaign funding by Mo Hill and his new political club. In return Patch, led by opinionated and slanted reporting by Wall has been attacking Rodrick since he challenged Hill for the mayor’s spot in 2019.
Wall denies the accusation and said the money paid to her company by Hill does not influence her reporting, nor has it influenced her two-year-long aggressive reporting campaign against Rodrick where she often slants her articles in favor of Hill and his allies.
Rodrick said if anyone is against the plight of Jews in America, it’s Andy Kim who supports the Democrat-sponsored bill in Washington to restart the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal that would endanger the nation of Israel. Kim served under Obama and his campaigns have been funded largely by Nancy Pelosi and the progressive radical left of the Democrat party.
“Andy Kim supports a new Iran nuclear deal, which would reward Iran with another $90 Billion from American Taxpayers, without requiring unannounced nuclear inspections,” Rodrick fired at Kim. “This new Iran Nuclear Deal would also allow Iran to accelerate its nuclear program and Iran’s stated policy is to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. It is Andy Kim’s position on Iran that is Anti-Israel and anti-Semitic.”
The councilman also reminded Kim of his own past anti-Semitic campaign mailers against his former Jewish opponent.
“Andy Kim was also accused of distributing antisemitic mailers in his 2020 congressional campaign by opponent David Richter. So you would think Mr. Kim would be more careful about hurling those kinds baseless allegations,” Rodrick added.
Kim this week also twisted the words of his new opponent, Tricia Flanagan. In a commercial, Flanagan said Kim is a D.C. progressive Democrat who takes marching orders from Nancy Pelosi, AOC, and the progressive “squad” in Congress. She added, “He’s not one of us.”
Kim twisted the message to infer that Flanagan was attacking him because he is Asian. Flanagan denied Kim’s allegation that she was conducting an anti-Asian racially motivated attack against the Congressman, reiterating that Kim’s radical leftist and progressive track record is not in line with the voters and residents at Ocean County.
In 2020, Ocean County had the highest margin of voters voting for former Republican President Donald J. Trump. Kim was able to narrowly defeat Richter with the help of the Democrat majority in Burlington County.
Kim aide, Ben Giovine said members of the Orthodox Jewish community had met with the Congressman and lobbied him to make the statement against Rodrick.
“They approached the congressman about their concerns,” Kim staffer and former Toms River School Board President Giovine said in a report published by Mo Hill-aligned journalist Karen Wall. “It was just in line for us to come out against this language and rhetoric.”
“Members of our Jewish community are welcomed here as much as anyone; it is their home too,” Congressman Kim said. “We must be unified in the agreement that anti-Semitic language and actions do not belong here and will not be tolerated.”
Kim has already announced his re-election campaign for 2022 and will need the highly coveted Orthodox Jewish bloc vote to defeat his opponent next November.
Rodrick’s running mate, Lavallette police officer Justin Lamb said the only thing offensive here is Andy Kim and his ultra-liberal ‘defund the police’ and anti-American radical friends in Washington, D.C.
“I take exception to Congressman Andy Kim’s baseless admonition. Mr. Kim is nothing more than an ultra-liberal Democrat who only won the 3rd district due to liberal-controlled gerrymandering,” Lamb said. “He answers to Nancy Pelosi, who in turn supports the vile anti-Semitic bigotry of people like Congresswoman Llhan Omar.”
Lamb said he will not be intimidated by Andy Kim’s continued political race-baiting in order to gain votes in a county where the second-term congressman is widely unpopular among residents.
“I have always been an avid supporter of Israel and the Jewish people. What I do object to is the change to zoning to accommodate houses of worship or for any other places of assembly – secular or religious,” Lamb added. “As the Republican frontrunner, I will not be intimidated through faith-baiting by an ultra-liberal Democrat hack like Andy Kim and his local liberal handlers, including my opponent. “