McCollum To Skip Netanyahu Speech To Congress
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum says she'll skip Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to a joint session of Congress next month.
The Minnesota Democrat calls Netanyahu's speech "nothing more than a campaign event." It comes two weeks before Israel's elections.
Netanyahu plans to address Congress over his concerns about U.S. nuclear negotiations with Iran. House Speaker John Boehner extended the invitation without discussing it beforehand with the White House.
McCollum says she finds it "very disturbing" that the Israeli leader will be allowed to address Congress "for the sole purpose of undermining a foreign policy priority shared by the Obama administration and our European allies to score political points at home."
Democratic Reps. John Lewis of Georgia and Jim Clyburn of South Carolina also say they will skip Netanyahu's speech.
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